Jinchuriki Exchange Program
by mark and name
Summary: When things happen earlier than expected,plans from long ago are put into motion, a promise is finally acted on and a new path is set before Konoha's Jinchuriki.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone. New writer here trying to make the Naruto fandom a better place. I couldn't find any good fics and in order to pass time I just thought I'd write my own. Hope you all enjoy it.**

**This first chapter might look a little rushed.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is Kishimoto's. Not mine, never will be mine.**

**Chapter one: The power of fear**

Naruto's heart threatened to break through his ribcage as his feet carried him as quickly as he could through the forest. His eyes were wide with fear as he jumped over bushes and weaved in between the trees. Iruka, his teacher, was behind him stumbling along and trying to keep up with him as best as he could despite his injuries.

All the while Naruto could feel the unimaginable weight that bore down on him threatening to send him to his knees if he even stopped moving for a second. He could hear their footsteps and it most definitely did not sound like they were running. They were walking and he was running! They were playing with him!

Naruto had been in danger before. He had been in a near-death situation before. He knew fear. Today he had been introduced to terror brought about by two men who could put the fear of god into men. One minute he had been crying with joy at finally achieving his goal of being a ninja. The next, well, it wasn't something he could describe with words.

His toes crashed painfully against a thick root which stuck up through the ground and he in turn hit the ground hard. In a panicked motion he pulled his face up from the ground and the first thing he saw were two feet covered in Shinobi sandals. Praying to every Kami in existence that this was not who he thought it was he let his gaze travel upwards. However he knew it was hopeless when he continued to feel the intense pressure that was killing intent bear down on him and when he caught sight of the black cloak with red clouds.

Before he knew it he found himself staring into the visage of Uchiha Itachi. Blue eyes met coal-black ones and Naruto instinctively launched himself backwards but only succeeded in tripping again and falling on his back. Nevertheless he scrambled back desperate to get as far away as he could from this man.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the boy. He was never one to show expression but this was ridiculous. Before he…left…he had known that Konoha's jinchuriki had nothing in the way of fighting skills but that had been when the boy had just started at the ninja academy. Apparently Naruto had not benefited from those four years at all. He had actually found out now what he carried within him and no doubt this was Sarutobi's doing. The old Hokage was still too soft it seemed.

He watched with disdain as the blonde boy moved back and then as he started whipping his head round looking for some form salvation.

His voice shaking, Naruto whispered softly, "Iruka-sensei?" He turned to look behind him hoping against all odds his teacher was still with him. It was not to be however, as he found himself looking up at the large figure of Hoshigaki Kisame.

The large blue-skinned man glared down at him, the disappointment showing more prominently on his shark-like features. Naruto felt his heart drop a little further.

Itachi frowned as he watched Naruto look round for his teacher. How bad was the blonde's situational awareness? Had he really not heard the his teacher shout his name when Itachi took him out with a kunai to the back of the knee? At the time the missing nin had believed that Naruto had abandoned the man but obviously that was not the case. Simply put Naruto's fear had been so great that he just hadn't heard his teacher nor noticed that he had been running alone for close to five minutes.

Other ninja may have actually found delight in the fact that their killing intent was that strong but not Itachi. He knew he shouldn't have but he had been expecting a little bit more. This boy after all housed a being whose killing intent dwarfed Itachi's by a huge margin. But here he was scaring the shit out of the small boy without even trying. He hadn't even seen the need to activate his Sharingan.

It was sad really.

Nevertheless he did not let up on the killing intent. Naruto had had his chance to fight and it was gone now. Every second that passed increased the chances of some leaf nin finding them. It also increased the chances that Kisame might kill the boy simply for not presenting any sort of challenge. He could see the rage in his partner's eyes.

"Can you do anything!" Kisame spat out. "Can you fight! Do you even know how to throw a punch!" Naruto shook with fear as he scrambled up to his feet trying to run away but Kisame's hand grabbed his collar. Naruto was then lifted a good six feet into the air. If anything this served to terrify him more because he was almost sure now that the crazy shark man would eat him if those sharp teeth were any indication.

"You hold the strongest bijuu in the elemental nations in that tiny body of yours and all you can do is shake!" Itachi suppressed a wince. Kisame's leaking even more killing intent and Naruto's hands were doing all sorts of things to Kisame's right arm so that he would let go. Nothing worked.

"Kisame don't-"With a roar of rage, Kisame's fist made contact with Naruto's left cheek snapping the boy's head back and very nearly breaking his neck and cracking his jaw, "-kill him." Itachi muttered the last part.

Naruto's hands fell to his side and his struggles stopped as he entered the sweet realm of unconsciousness. Itachi didn't need the sharp clarity of the Sharingan to see the ugly bruise that blossomed on Naruto's cheek. He would be feeling that for days-since his Bijuu's chakra wouldn't heal it because they would seal it off- days that Naruto would spend in captivity until they had finished with all the other jinchuriki.

Kisame slung Naruto over his shoulder and begun walking away muttering things about useless tree-huggers and something that sounded like 'didn't even get a good fucking fight'. Itachi put one foot forward to follow when he sensed chakra flaring slightly. Kisame felt it too for he had already turned round before the log that used to be Naruto fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" Kisame yelled indignantly. Itachi's eyes narrowed as he stared down at the log. A rescue obviously orchestrated by a leaf nin. One he knew all too well since he had been saved exactly the same way a few years ago and to this day he hadn't heard or seen any other leaf nin using that method.

Some distance away from the clearing a large black bull dog looked intently at its master as it shifted the weight on its back a little to better accommodate it.

"Bull, take Naruto back to Konoha as fast as you can. Pakkun will be right beside you, right Pakkun?"

The small brown pug nodded understanding the severity of the situation. "Yeah boss". The two canines then took off into the trees bounding from branch to branch with ease born of years of practice.

The master of the dogs, their summoner, stood up and turned round to face the direction he had just come from. His gravity-defying silver hair shone in the moonlight. He was dressed in the standard leaf jounin uniform with the flak jacket except he had a mask covering half his face from the chin and his hitai-ate was slanted over his left eye. However as he waited for the inevitable battle one hand rose to pull up the hitai-ate revealing an eye which had a blood-red iris with three tomoe spinning around a black pupil.

Faster than the common eye could see his hands blurred through hand seals and finished by slamming his palms onto the ground.

"Doton: Doryuheki!" (Earth release: Earth-style wall)

A large earthen wall rose from the earth before him, so big it towered over the trees barring the path of two individuals who had been trying to sneak past him. One black blur simply bounced back off the wall to land in a graceful crouch to reveal Itachi.

The other, Kisame, decided he was going through the wall. With speed that belied his size he drew the large white sword on his back, Samehada, and smashed it through the wall in a downward arc all in one motion.

That maneuver however had left him open resulting in his jaw being introduced to the silver-haired jounin's boot in a spectacular fashion. He flew back through the hole he had created managing to land on his feet beside Itachi.

Itachi's eyes already morphed into the Sharingan scanned the wall before resting on the figure that stood on top of it. "Kakashi-senpai, it is good to see you."

Kakashi spoke back, voice deadly serious, "Itachi, it's good to see you too though its somewhat dulled by the circumstances."

"Being on opposite sides can do that." His voice then matched Kakashi's in all its seriousness. "You know what we're here for."

"Unfortunately I do and I can't allow that to happen." He visibly prepared himself, "you understand that, right Itachi?"

Itachi nodded and Kisame who was rubbing his jaw chose that moment to speak up, "You hit me in the face. Finally it looks like I get a challenge but I hope you know that you will pay for that."

Itachi spoke before Kakashi could reply, "Kisame, go after Naruto. I will handle this."

"But-"

"Go Kisame," Itachi ordered in a tone that left no room for discussion.

Kisame grumbled a little bit before forming a hand seal and disappearing in a burst of water. Kakashi made to turn round and go after him but the moment he turned round he came face to face with another Itachi.

He spoke only two words.

"Bunshin Daibakuha" (Clone great explosion)

**A little ways off**

An old man clad in black battle armor watched his Anbu guard of four escort Kakashi's summons and Naruto back to the village. Inwardly he was quite grateful for this turn of events. They had simply knocked Naruto out giving him a very nasty bruise. If he knew the boy's healing ability which he did that bruise would be gone by morning. He had recovered from far worse in an even shorter span of time.

In any case he had to hand it to Itachi and his partner. They couldn't have chosen a better moment to strike. Itachi had actually cleared this section of the forest of all Anbu who were on guard duty. Sarutobi himself might never have realized this was happening if he hadn't been watching the boy through the crystal ball. It had been a moment of pride for him seeing Naruto learn a jounin technique in only the span of an hour only for it to be crushed when the two S-class nin revealed themselves. He had definitely not expected Naruto to face such problems so soon but it seemed that Naruto would have to do a lot of growing up both mentally and in skills if he was to survive.

The exact thing he had been hoping to prevent.

The old man sighed and turned to face the direction he knew his opponent for the day would be coming from. He hoped it wasn't Itachi. He wasn't in the mood to face the boy especially with their…history. Such a meeting would be awkward.

Ask and thou shall receive for it was the blue-skinned man who burst through the foliage. Immediately he saw the person he was facing a shark-like grin graced his features.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, the monster of Kiri" Sarutobi spoke in way of greeting.

Kisame chuckled, "Sarutobi Hiruzen, the god of Shinobi" Kisame returned his voice full of glee. "I actually thought I wouldn't get a real fight after seeing how useless your jinchuriki was but now I get to fight you," Sarutobi thought Kisame would squeal like a little girl, "Screw Itachi and the copy nin. This will be way more interesting." Wordlessly Sarutobi flashed through hand seals after biting his thumb.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A poof of smoke later and a monkey which stood at an inch taller than Kisame stood beside Sarutobi. "Sarutobi," Enma, the monkey king spoke, "it's been a while."

"Indeed it has Enma. He is our opponent. Prepare yourself." Another poof of smoke engulfed both Sarutobi and Enma and when it cleared Sarutobi stood in a ready stance with a long black pole in hands.

If it was possible Kisame's grin grew wider. "HAHA! The god vs the monster!" he drew Samehada, "Come on!"

**A little ways off**

The scarred chunin academy instructor dragged himself back to the village all the while trying to calm his racing heart. His every limb screamed in agony but worst of all was his leg, the one Itachi had plunged a kunai into. He couldn't feel his knee anymore- there was only a white hot blinding pain, one that was severely hampering his thinking abilities.

Although he couldn't think straight he knew his best option was to go back to Konoha and report this so that the Hokage could send all able ninja after them. Hopefully he would get some reasonable ninja who would actually _listen_ to him other than say 'good riddance'.

So he struggled on, the pain getting worse all the while. His groans of pain were muffled by the ground he moved on since the strength to actually raise his head off the ground was disappearing fast. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he grit his teeth. He had to be strong for Naruto. This was Naruto's day. He had just become a ninja. He had mastered a jounin level technique. He had defeated a traitorous chunin. Iruka would let it be ruined by Naruto having to wake up in some strange place, bound hand and feet with no hope of escape.

For all his determination, Iruka didn't notice when he blacked out. He also didn't notice an Anbu operative drop down before him while issuing out orders.

**Kisame versus Sarutobi**

Kisame stood outside a large cloud of mist, the biggest grin ever gracing his features. He had actually wanted a small lake but this would do just nicely. Actually that had been what he was aiming for. The mist was a product of a collision between his 'water release: exploding water shockwave' and Sarutobi's 'fire release: fire dragon flame bullet'. Apparently put those two B-rank jutsu together and you get a cloud of mist denser and bigger than most Kiri nin could make with the actual mist technique.

But that wasn't what thrilled him. If his sharp chakra sensing abilities were correct Sarutobi was still in the mist and the amount of water vapor was enough for one truly devastating attack.

"Suiton: Senjikizame!" (Water release: A thousand feeding sharks)

The mist immediately condensed and formed a circular wall of sharks that crashed down on the centre of the mist, Sarutobi's position.

Kisame didn't even budge as the resulting explosion of water crashed into him. He let it wash over him as if it was refreshing him. Even as it calmed down he felt reinvigorated ready to go for another round that is if Sarutobi had survived that.

Kisame was sorely disappointed however. The water disappeared into the earth and surrounding vegetation. In the crater where the sharks had crashed down, one could still see a hole big enough for a human to pass through.

"Damn!"

He turned round just as Sarutobi and Enma burst from the ground behind him going through the motion of a back flip. While in the air Enma returned to his staff form which Sarutobi gracefully caught before landing in one of his stances.

"Shit!"

Kisame then noticed the dozen chakra signatures approaching their position and in a matter of seconds, he was surrounded by Anbu operatives.

"Fuck!"

Kisame noted that the operatives were positioned in such a way that all escape routes were blocked. However he still raised Samehada to in a defensive stance, although now he was actually thinking of ways to get out of this mess. He didn't need to do that.

There was a slight shift of wind and Itachi now stood beside the blue missing nin. Everyone in the clearing tensed, even Kisame.

"Kisame, I told you that we were not here to fight a war and I find you fighting, of all people, the Hokage?" Itachi asked though the surprise usually associated with such questions was absent from his voice.

Kisame actually pouted, "He started it."

Sarutobi wanted to grin at that but the urge was quickly erased when Itachi blinked. The normal Sharingan was gone replaced by a pinwheel-shuriken like shape. He knew something bad was about to happen and yelled,

"EVERYONE GET BACK!" mere seconds before there was an explosion of black fire.

**The next day**

Kakashi walked up the stairs to the Hokage's office all the while massaging his right shoulder. It had been a while but Itachi had not lost any of his taijutsu skill. If anything he had become better, way better. Itachi was no longer the rookie Anbu who Kakashi would kick around while teaching him life lessons. He was a true example of the example of the expression 'the student has surpassed the master' in a sense.

That made Kakashi grimace. He knew it was inevitable, they would fight again. Itachi had said it himself, right before he burned off his flak jacket. Kakashi had to return to training again, if only so he could protect his sensei's legacy. To do that he would have to make a few sacrifices, two sacrifices in fact and that almost made him reconsider.

He opened the door without knocking since the secretary had told him that the Hokage had told her that she should tell him to just enter. He entered to find the Hokage and his student Jiraiya in a heated discussion. Jiraiya stood directly before the old man, arms crossed and mouth in a thin line. It wasn't the father-son like talk the two usually had. This was a discussion between two legendary ninjas.

Kakashi had come in just as Jiraiya was saying, "You say that like he's not going to be in Kakashi's team."

The copy nin raised an eyebrow at that. It was obvious who they were talking about but why wouldn't they put him on his team?

Both men carried on as if he wasn't even there so Kakashi just leaned back on the wall and folded his arms like Jiraiya. He was sure that even if they didn't show it, they had noticed his presence the second he put his fingers on the doorknob. He would be addressed when they were ready to address him. For now he would just follow the conversation.

"He won't." was the reply.

"So you want me to train him!"

"Like I said," Sarutobi continued in his calm collected voice, "Akatsuki is more dangerous than I thought. I need you to focus on your spy network and collect any information you can on Akatsuki."

"Then who will train him!"

Sarutobi sighed and stood up before turning his back on Jiraiya to gaze at his village through the window. He ran an old tired hand across his old tired face. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this but it's what Minato wanted." He turned back to look Jiraiya directly in the eye then Kakashi, finally acknowledging his presence. "Do any of you two remember operation '_fox in the clouds'_?"

Kakashi's eye widened while Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. They did remember. They watched as Sarutobi summoned a messenger hawk before writing something small on a piece of paper and tying that piece of paper to the bird's leg. He carried the bird to the window before turning back to the other occupants of the room.

"Do any of you object to this?" he asked.

Both looked like they were at a loss for words. "He still has a chance here, Hokage-sama. We can still-"

Sarutobi cut Kakashi off by raising his hand. "Kakashi, even I did not expect them to strike this early. We all know that the reason Naruto is still with us is because we both got there in time. Next time…we might not be so lucky. Next time, Naruto might have no one to protect him. Naruto needs to get stronger and quickly so that he can protect himself when the time comes."

With a sad shake of his head, Jiraiya nodded. "I agree. I cannot train him. Akatsuki is still too much of an unknown factor in all of this and I have to work overtime to change that. You could make him strong Kakashi but not quickly enough. Sarutobi… enough said."

Kakashi bowed his head before he looked back at Jiraiya and Sarutobi, his eyes shining with acceptance and determination. The window opened and Sarutobi let the bird fly. Its journey to the North-east of Konoha would be long.

"Operation _fox in the clouds_ is officially a-go" with that Sarutobi turned to face Kakashi.

"Kakashi, team assignments will be postponed to a week from now. That way we will be able to find a replacement to fill the void on your team. That is all." Kakashi bowed as a sign of respect before leaving the office.

He couldn't reconsider now. The sacrifices would have to be made. That meant he would be seeing a book a bit less and he would have to make an appointment with a certain green jounin.

**Hospital**

Uzumaki Naruto walked out of the hospital with a dejected look on his face. Minutes ago he had been discharged by this really kind doctor. Naruto wondered why he had never met the man during his other rare visits to Konoha General Hospital. Maybe then he wouldn't hate the place as much. Naruto thought the man was awesome.

But still a kind doctor was not enough to raise Naruto's low spirits. He hadn't had the best of nights and it clearly showed. There were bags under his eyes and it was barely noticeable but he looked a bit paler. This was due to the nightmares that had plagued him.

He didn't know why it disturbed him so much but Naruto knew that it would be a long time before he forgot those red eyes. The crushing pressure that came when he stood in the presence of the man who owned those eyes and his companion. It was still there- the feeling of wanting to throw up yet being too paralyzed to do so, the feeling that he could wet his bowels at any time yet not notice, the feeling that stripped him of any rational thought.

Iruka-sensei –they had shared the same room- had asked him what he remembered and Naruto in a moment of invulnerability had told him of the pressure, the fear while shaking. Iruka had told him that was just killing intent, a technique that implants fear in the enemy if it is strong enough.

Well Naruto didn't think that it was _just _killing intent. The fear he had felt which he still felt now would haunt him until the end of his days. It didn't take a psychiatrist to see that.

But Naruto still had one philosophy: when he was down, he would do whatever it took to get himself back up and forget about it. What better way to do that than get himself a Hokage-sized bowl of ramen from the great Ichiraku-sama? In a matter of minutes Naruto stood outside the ramen stand. He took a deep breath before placing his usual large grin on his face then stepped in.

Inside he found Ayame leaning against the counter with her head being held up by her right hand. She was staring off into space. Naruto didn't waste a second.

"HEY AYAME-CHAN!"

With speed many ninja would have envied Ayame jumped back, visibly startled. She looked ready to kill the fool who had dared startled her and Naruto began to sweat a little until her eyes landed on him. Then suddenly she had dragged Naruto over the counter and into a hug. Naruto felt himself sink into her arms. He was long used to her violent displays of affection. After all weren't all women violent? In everything they did?

"Naruto, I was so worried! I heard you were in the hospital! Are you ok?" She held Naruto at arm's length her eyes going over every inch of his small body. Absentmindedly Naruto rubbed his jaw-the place where Kisame had punched him. The bruise was non-existent now but it still felt a little sore. It was a miracle that the bone wasn't even cracked.

"I'm alright Ayame-chan. Completely healthy as usual see?" He beamed at her to prove his point until his stomach gave a loud rumble. Naruto looked up sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I might be suffering from starvation."

The brown-haired girl giggled before releasing the blonde. "Silly boy, you don't-" she was cut off by another voice.

"Ayame, I heard a voice. Is it who I think it is?" Teuchi appeared holding the very thing Naruto had come for. The blonde gazed upon it as a monk would gaze at his god. "Naruto!" the old man boomed. "Welcome back!"

"Awww Teuchi-jiji! You know just how to cheer me up!" Naruto then held out his hands for the ramen as a child would for their mother.

The smile dropped off of Teuchi's face for a second as he handed Naruto his meal and chopsticks. After whispering his thanks, Naruto dug in like an animal.

"Why would you need cheering up Naruto?" Ayame asked. Unlike her father her smile had dropped completely off her face.

Naruto paused for a second before continuing. The two were barely able to make out a muffled stream of words that sounded like, "It's nothing."

Teuchi continued, "I mean after all you're a ninja now. Wasn't that part of your dream? A stepping stone to becoming Hokage? What happened that would make you need some cheering up?"

Naruto stopped eating completely. A hand rose up and touched the leaf hitai-ate on his forehead. He was a ninja now! He had completely forgot about that. He couldn't even remember the time he put it on. It all seemed so small compared to the events that followed. He tried remembering what had happened but he quickly found out that it wasn't that easy to remember this and not remember that. An image of those red eyes flashed in his mind and Naruto began to shake. His blue eyes widened in fright.

Teuchi, seeing this reached over the counter and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. Just as quickly as he left, Naruto came back to reality glancing down at Teuchi's hand. A second later a grin wide enough to split his face automatically appeared and Naruto shook Teuchi's hand off.

Naruto briefly considered telling them but remembered an Anbu operative's words. The black ops nin had been sent to tell him that the events of last night were an official S-class secret. Naruto knew enough to know that if he said anything about that he would be in big trouble.

"It's alright Teuchi-jiji! Nothing to worry about! All that's happened is that I'm one step closer to being Hokage!" with that he dug once more into his ramen praying to Kami that they would let him eat in peace.

Teuchi and Ayame both noted that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

**The next day**

Sarutobi walked out of the council chamber his robes fluttering out behind him. This was one of the few times he was actually leaving a quiet room where there was no angry muttering. In fact not one person was glaring at him. It was silent yet one could think they could hear the cogs of their minds turning at speeds unknown.

Sarutobi had told them of Akatsuki's attempt to capture Naruto. He told them exactly who had been assigned to capture the boy and had to squash down the urge to grin when he saw Koharu and Homura flinch at hearing Itachi's name. Danzo was ever the statue-'The bastard' Sarutobi thought- obviously having received this information from his sources prior to the meeting.

He told them every detail making sure to outline Naruto's 'pathetic'-it was not a word he really wanted to use- performance throughout the whole ordeal in the most subtle way imaginable. By the end of it he was relatively sure he had broken the council's faith in Naruto.

He had then revealed to them his solution for the problem placed before them. The timing had never been better. In an effort to improve relations since the Hyuga incident the Raikage of the village hidden in the clouds had offered to take their jinchuriki and train him for them.

This at once caused an uproar. Everyone had immediately shook their heads. They couldn't trust Kumo, they said. Koharu had stood up and asked just how Kumo knew that they had a jinchuriki. After all hadn't they spread the story that the Fourth had defeated the beast?

Sarutobi replied by saying that they knew there was no way to kill the beast. They had found that out when they themselves had tried to capture it many years ago. Koharu didn't look like she believed it for one second but it still managed to keep her quiet. Shikaku, of all people, stood up saying that Kumo could not be trusted. They had after all come under the guise of some diplomatic mission only for them to make an attempt on the clan heir of the Hyuga clan.

Many others agreed with him until the Hokage said Kumo would lend them their jinchuriki for the two-tailed demon cat for the time being- a fully trained jinchuriki.

This managed to shut everyone up in the council chambers except for Danzo who stood up immediately saying that they instead should demand for the jinchuriki of the eight-tailed ox octopus. Sarutobi had calmly replied by saying that that particular jinchuriki would be the one training their own. Who better to train him than the perfect jinchuriki?

He went on to say that Naruto would be trained for a period of four months after which he would return to Konoha. Two months later the chunin exams would commence, here in Konoha.

They asked what his training would entail and Sarutobi said they would be informed within the week should they approve. Without missing a beat he added saying that their approval would be needed by the end of the day.

Should they approve Naruto would be gone by the end of the week and he would have Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin to escort him so that nothing funny would happen. Kumo's jinchuriki would meet them at the border where they would finalize a few issues before they each left for their respective destinations.

Pleased that it looked like everything was going to plan but not showing it, Sarutobi had stood up and informed them that he was all for the idea. This would make the two villages allies and an alliance between the two strongest villages was definitely a good thing.

That was when he walked out, the smallest smirk on his features. He wouldn't admit it but he loved manipulating the council. It made an old man like him feel powerful.

It would be an hour before the council finally approved.

Many, many miles away another Kage was walking out of the council chambers of his village. He was a large man with olive skin and white hair that had also been trimmed into an impressive goatee. Another difference between him and Konoha's Kage was that he had not manipulated his council into doing anything. He had laid down the law and that was that.

Sure some violent displays of aggression were involved but as they say, the ends justify the means.

**At the Hokage's office**

Naruto trudged up to the Hokage's office without his usual cheer. A frown adorned his face, but he didn't quite care since he was alone. At the moment there was no one he needed to fool into thinking he was still a happy child.

Lately it had been even more difficult to put on his mask. It was hard to believe all this stemmed from his 'graduation' yet it had affected him more than he knew. The thought that those two would be back for him made his heart beat a little faster and not in a good way. He was terrified, frightened, alone and even though he knew talking about it to someone would help, his sense of morality would always win. He would never be a burden to someone.

His mind cleared up when he found himself standing before the door to the Hokage's office. He couldn't look weak now. He couldn't let them know that those events still bothered him. Once again he found himself taking a slow deep breath. He was doing that a lot these days.

He opened the door quickly before he lost his composure his face breaking into a wide grin.

"Hey Hokage-jiji!" Naruto yelled but even he knew that it wasn't his usual tone. It hadn't been for a while now.

The aged Hokage also noticed but he gave no indication that he did. He only greeted the boy with his warmest smile. "Hello Naruto-kun. I trust you are well?"

Naruto threw himself onto the couch in the office. "I'm doing great dattebayo!" Sarutobi also noticed how the boy didn't elaborate. Nothing about all the ramen he had eaten or the pranks he had pulled.

"When you said he was loud old man, I didn't think he would be that loud."

Naruto literally jumped off the couch. Visibly frightened the blonde searched frantically for the source of the voice before his cerulean eyes landed on the large white haired man dressed in green and red leaning back against the wall by the door. The frightened look disappeared off his face as quickly as it had come, replaced by a mask of annoyance.

"Who are you?" he asked rather rudely.

The man stood up to his full height and walked forward. Annoyance was written all over his face. "A bit rude too. Well no matter. I've dealt with brats like you before. As for whom I am. Let me enlighten you!"

Sarutobi sighed. "Jiraiya please-"

"Not know old man!"

He drew blood from his hand and performed a few hand seals before slamming them down on the ground. Smoke burst forth engulfing him. Naruto, his interest caught opened his mouth in amazement.

His voice rang out from the smoke, "From the North to the South he is unbeatable. From the West to the East he is invincible." Confetti started raining down on the amazed Naruto and exasperated Hokage. "No man can oppose him, no woman can resist him. LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS AND GAZE IN FEAR AND AWE FOR YOU STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF…"

Naruto began to wonder why the smoke hadn't cleared yet. He was pretty sure the window was open.

"THE GREAT TOAD SAGE, JIRAAAAAH!" Sarutobi hid a small smile as the sound of someone sneezing rang through the office. The smoke was quickly dispersed to reveal Jiraiya just as his face made contact with the floor. Naruto could feel the floor vibrating through his feet.

A large green toad stood behind Jiraiya rubbing its nostrils."Sorry Jiraiya" it muttered. Jiraiya's response to that was to moan through the floor.

It took a few seconds for Naruto to completely comprehend the situation but when he did he burst into fits of laughter. Holding his ribs Naruto sank to his knees and Sarutobi even though he had witnessed this dozens of times couldn't help but join in as well- though he only chuckled. Naruto's laughter was very contagious.

Jiraiya stood up as the toad dismissed itself and went back to its realm. He grimaced as he watched his teacher and godson laugh at him. "Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. One day I'll get it right then we'll see whose laughing when I really do make them stare in awe."

This only made Naruto laugh all the more harder. Jiraiya looked as if he had smelled something foul which did not help matters.

THWAP!

Jiraiya's hand smacked the back of Naruto's head sharply. Naruto would have glared back at the man defiantly if his leaf hitai-ate hadn't fallen off. Naruto watched it fall in slow motion. He was pulled back to reality when the metal plate hit the carpet covered floor.

"- brat," Jiraiya had been speaking, "No respect for elders. Can't even tie a hitai-ate right."

All traces of humor however had disappeared off the face of Sarutobi who was watching Naruto with the intensity of a predator watching its prey. Naruto was staring at its hitai-ate and there was a hint of…fear in his eyes. It took less than a second for the old man to realize that.

Jiraiya wasn't too far behind as he had easily noticed that he was talking to no one.

"Naruto," the Third began, "why don't you pick up your hitai-ate so we can begin?"

The Third had chosen his words carefully in order to gauge the young boy's response. Naruto was snapped out of his trance and he gave Sarutobi a rather blank look.

"What? Oh yeah, I can do that." He said before looking back down at the piece of cloth and metal.

The two adults in the room noticed how those words were spoken as if Naruto was trying to encourage himself. Unbidden, Sarutobi could hear Iruka's words in his head again.

It was…it was terrifying Hokage-sama. Immediately when I put my hitai-ate on Naruto's head, this intense pressure- their killing intent- crashed down on us.

"Jiraiya," Sarutobi called. The toad sage turned to him. Sarutobi's expression plainly said, 'help him'.

Jiraiya obeyed that order.

"Here you go brat," he picked up the hitai-ate and tied it around Naruto's forehead. He didn't stop when Naruto flinched at the touch of the soft cloth. "Now that's how you tie a hitai-ate!" Jiraiya smiled at Naruto's grateful expression.

"Naruto, could you come here?" Sarutobi asked.

Without a second thought Naruto stepped forward. As he moved to stand before his Hokage he couldn't help but give an audible sigh. It had been too much to hope but it looked like this wouldn't affect him for a short time only. Those red eyes would haunt him for a very long time.

Standing before the Hokage he ended up looking right into the old man's eyes. He saw more kindness and understanding in them than he had seen in years.

"Naruto we have a lot of things to discuss. I'm sure you have a lot of questions concerning what Mizuki told you."

Naruto was a bit confused for a second before it finally clicked. It took him another second to recall what the traitor had even said. In all honesty he had completely forgotten about the man's story that he had the nine-tailed fox in him.

It felt incomparable to what had happened next.

It even dwarfed the villagers' attitude towards him.

Naruto gulped, "Is is true?"

Sarutobi didn't miss a beat.

"Yes Naruto." Sarutobi launched into his tale. At the end of it, Naruto's expression hadn't changed one bit which was impressive for one usually as brash as him.

"So the fox was sealed in me?"

"Yes"

"Because there was no other way?"

"Yes"

"And that's why the villagers hate me?"

Sarutobi sighed, "You have to understand Naruto. A lot of loved ones were lost that night. Many people's lives were ruined. Sadly it is not so easy for humans to put the past behind them and there is always the need to blame someone or something."

"It's alright Hokage-jiji." Naruto's voice sounded almost resigned.

"I simply don't…care anymore."

Sarutobi and Jiraiya both felt their heart plummet at this. They knew it was bad but they didn't think it would be this bad.

The boy was definitely suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He had already shown two symptoms.

The first was increased arousal or in Naruto's case, hypervigilance. This had been seen when Naruto was visibly startled by Jiraiya's appearance in the room.

The second was persistent avoidance and emotional numbing which Naruto had shown when his hitai-ate had fallen to the floor and just now respectively.

Sarutobi was almost half tempted to call for a therapist this instant but he knew that right now Naruto wouldn't really care about what a therapist from Konoha would say, whichever their attitude towards him.

Naruto broke the cold silence that had been hanging over them.

"So those two m-…Those two," he started afresh, "had come after me because of the Kyuubi?"

Sarutobi answered feeling worse than he had in years. "Yes Naruto. That was why they came after you. I don't know why they did but I'm sure it wasn't for a good cause if they had to resort to capturing you. I'm also sure that the extraction process, how they would take the kyuubi out of you," he elaborated at Naruto's confused expression, "would not be…pleasant."

Naruto didn't look like he was about to say anything so Sarutobi continued.

"And because of that we have come up with a solution." Naruto looked up at this. "Naruto, you need to become stronger. They will return." The boy shuddered. Sarutobi continued nonetheless.

"Because of that, we want to send you to another hidden village, just like ours. It's called Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds."

"Clouds?"

"Yes Naruto. It's quite far from here. That would mean several days on the road."

"Why there? Why can't I just train here?"

"Well Naruto," Sarutobi wondered how to explain without making the phrase 'people like you' sound like a bad thing, "Kumogakure is better qualified at training people with your talents." Jiraiya scoffed at this but Sarutobi ignored him.

"What are you saying, Hokage-jiji?"

"What I mean is that Kumogakure has someone who can understand you better than most people here in the hidden leaf. He also has a tailed beast sealed within him."

Naruto was visibly taken aback. "He does? Is he hated by his villagers' too?" Naruto asked the question exactly like a child would except it lacked on thing.

Innocence.

The innocence he had had last week.

It chilled the old man to the bone.

"I do not believe he is hated now but I can tell you now Naruto, he has lived your life. That's why I can say he will understand you probably more than anyone in this village."

Jiraiya who had moved to stand beside the old man searched the boy's eyes for any reaction to those words.

He found none.

Sarutobi went on. "If you accept Naruto, you will be leaving at the end of this week. That's less than four days from now. You will be gone for a period of four months after which you will return to Konoha. You don't have to accept now. We can give you-"

"I accept."

"Pardon me?"

Naruto repeated himself a little more forcefully. "I accept old man. I'll go to Kumo."

Sarutobi didn't dare ask for his reasons. He knew Naruto would appreciate it also if he didn't.

"I see. You should then begin preparing. Jiraiya here will help you with that."

"I, I have one more question." Sarutobi and Jiraiya looked at him with puzzled expressions. What else could Naruto possibly ask them for?

The blonde swallowed before beginning. "Why did he choose me?"

The question caught both men by surprise. Even though it was not clear they both knew what he was asking. It was too obvious.

Sarutobi looked into Naruto's eyes and his heart broke. He knew that right there and then he couldn't lie to the boy. No, that was impossible.

He knew Jiraiya wouldn't answer since the man had barely spoken a word throughout this entire meeting.

He couldn't lie, he just couldn't. Half truths wouldn't do either.

"Naruto, I-I promise that I'll tell you before you leave for Kumo. If I don't then Jiraiya will."

Naruto looked from Sarutobi to Jiraiya then to Sarutobi again. Deeming this satisfactory the boy proceeded to walk out, forgetting to excuse himself or bid the two farewell.

Sarutobi buried his face in his hands. "I overestimated Naruto's spirit. Apparently there are things even he can't bounce back from."

Jiraiya placed a soothing hand on the old man. "Don't worry too much old man. All this has done is force him to grow up a little. A little emotional scarring won't stop him from smiling and laughing. He just needs to get away from here for a while. Kumo can do that for us."

Sarutobi grimaced, "I hope so Jiraiya, for Naruto's sake."

**To answer a few questions I know you might have: no, Naruto is not emo. He's just going through a little depression which will clear up soon. He might not be as loud but he'll still be a little bit silly. I hope I got his character development right.**

**I wrote this fic because I noted that there are few Kumo fics and I haven't seen many stories with Killer bee in them. The one Kumo Naruto story I found,(and I'm looking forward to most) Naruto isn't even a ninja yet. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**I've upped Naruto's taijutsu a bit until he's...let's say almost a challenge for Sasuke on his best day. Also sorry that this came out very late. And this may look a lil' bit dramatic.**

**Chapter two**

**Three days before Naruto's departure**

Tears dulled the brightness of the rays of light from the afternoon sun. The emotion in his chest made him feel like his heart was going to burst. He wanted to scream out his anger, sadness, hopelessness and grief to the heavens but the air had been knocked out of his lungs a few seconds ago. He was too busy gasping for air amidst the sniffs.

A shadow fell over him and Naruto's vision cleared enough for him to find himself staring at a silver-haired jounin with a mask covering the lower half of his face from the bridge of his nose and a hitai-ate slanted over his left eye.

The man sighed and closed his right eye as if in resignation.

"Naruto," he began, "please sit up so I can tell you something." The man sat down in a cross-legged position beside him.

Naruto began the motions of getting up but he wasn't going to sit down to listen to some stranger's stories. He simply wasn't in the mood.

The stranger apparently noticed this because his hand was on Naruto's shoulder before the boy could blink.

"Please...just listen to me."

Naruto looked into his eyes again and saw determination, something he knew he didn't have. '_He's not gonna let me go. And even then there's nothing I can do to make him let me go. After all...it's just me, the class dobe, no talent, last in class, stupid and a coward. What could I ever do?_'

These thoughts did nothing to ebb the flow of tears. It only made it worse. Looking as if he was about to burst out sobbing at any moment Naruto got into his own cross-legged position before the masked man, only his posture was stooped with his hands just laying there front of him and his head bowed in a lame attempt to hide his tears.

...xXx...

Kakashi had to rein in his killing intent just a bit as he glared at the retreating back of his to-be pupil, Uchiha Sasuke. The boy was calmly walking back to his house with his hands in his pocket as if all he had been doing outside was taking a small stroll. He then looked at the bruised and beaten form of his sensei's son and his gaze softened considerably. He had to remind himself that Naruto had brought this upon himself having told Sasuke not to hold back and all.

Still, he wished Sasuke hadn't made it look so easy.

He walked up to the blond boy. Kakashi had actually come looking for Naruto to see if he could establish a bond with the boy seeing as he was leaving for Kumo. This was something the copy nin should have done years ago. After all he had had fourteen years but the truth of it was; Kakashi was simply terrified of creating such a close bond.

As an experienced ninja Kakashi didn't believe in luck, however there were times he couldn't help but think of himself as some bad luck charm.

Anyone he considered close to him was somehow a target of the great serial killer in the sky. Hell, it was almost a proven theory seeing as people thought his best friend was Gai, someone who he had actually had to give up trying to avoid.

Also he didn't know how to become a friend to someone like Naruto even if he was almost a carbon copy of Obito. Obito had become his friend, not he had become Obito's friend. That and these fourteen years had blurred the line between being social and anti-social for Kakashi.

No matter, right now Naruto needed help. Kakashi didn't know how to be a good friend but he definitely knew how to be a good comrade and being a leaf ninja, part of that involved knowing how to 're-ignite the will of fire in someone'.

He stood over Naruto and saw a boy who had given into despair. It broke his heart but it was his job right now to fix it. He'd talked to the Hokage yesterday and was sure what he was about to do wouldn't get him in trouble. At least he thought he was sure it wouldn't get him in trouble.

"Naruto, please sit up so I can tell you something." Kakashi asked as he got into a cross-legged position.

His hand reflexively reached out to prevent Naruto from leaving. Kakashi had already decided that all this determination he had would not go to waste.

"Please...just listen."

When Naruto practically collapsed into his own cross-legged position Kakashi was sure Naruto wouldn't try to run away again but it did nothing to make him feel better. Kakashi realized that if he hadn't had Anbu to keep himself busy after the Kyuubi incident this was probably what he could have become minus the alcohol. The copy nin actually considered himself lucky that Naruto was still too young to take alcohol or this would have been way harder.

Kakashi launched into his tale.

"Naruto...there was this ninja who at the peak of his strength was considered the strongest man in all the land. He could drive back entire armies on his own, face down the toughest of foes without flinching and make the hardest of tasks look extremely easy."

"Good for him," Naruto muttered bitterly.

Kakashi ignored that.

"But, it wasn't always like that for him. In the beginning all the odds were against him. He was once a short, skinny child who when he began his ninja career at the academy could actually be mistaken for a girl. How could someone like that ever pose a threat? He wasn't from any known clan, he didn't have a bloodline, he didn't really have any special talent. The first time he probably ever held something pointy was in his second year of the academy. They still do that, right? The 'you only start practising with sharp weapons in your second year' rule? "

"Yeah," Naruto replied as he began to use his hands to tear apart blades of grass.

"Well that kid used to yell '_I'm gonna be the strongest ninja in my village!_' every single day. Sound familiar?"

If it was possible Naruto turned further away from him.

"So as a child he already had a goal, so all he had to do was work towards it. He thought it would be easy at first but somewhere along the way he realized he would have to shed blood, sweat and tears if he was to come anywhere near his dream. I understand he worked so hard, he missed out on several pretty girls. I'm not sure he knew how it felt like to have a crush."

This earned Kakashi a bitter smile as Naruto thought of Sakura.

"But don't get me wrong. He wasn't like Sasuke Uchiha. He had a smile for everyone, even people like Sasuke. The point is he worked hard and he worked smart such that he was able to graduate at the age of ten. Only two years in the academy. Of course that _was_ when students were allowed to graduate early. He got his headband but that was only the first step. He knew that it would be completely foolish to relax then."

"People saw that he had potential and his sensei ended up being one of the strongest people in the village at the time. He impressed his sensei so much that his sensei decided to take him on as a full-time apprentice. It became a case of the sensei contributing only 15% to his training while the ninja contributed the other 85%. The sensei only guided him. He did most of the work."

"In no time, he was a chunin. A little while longer and he was a jounin. Soon he had his own genin team to teach, and boy did he teach them."

Unnoticed by Naruto who was too busy staring at the grass, Kakashi's eye became slightly unfocused before reverting to its usual sharpness.

"There was a war at the time and the ninja was sent to the frontlines. Other ninja from his village were there and they were...losing badly. The man found himself going up against more than three hundred ninja."

Naruto's head rose up slightly signifying that Kakashi's story was having an effect.

"Do you know what happened?"

Naruto slowly shook his head.

"He killed them all."

Naruto's eyes met his in shock and amazement.

"All of them?"

"Alone."

Kakashi felt like he was being probed as Naruto's eyes searched his own for any sign that said, 'I am lying through my teeth'. Soon enough Naruto relaxed and looked away again as if giving Kakashi the go-ahead to continue.

"The people he was fighting had the notion that if violence doesn't work, you're just not using enough of it. They sent a force of six hundred this time. If anything, they lasted a shorter time because he was really beginning to get good at destroying entire armies. Eventually the enemy had to issue a flee-on-sight order. Imagine that Naruto, the minute the enemy sees you on the battlefield they have to run away with their tails between their legs. No, it was more of if they heard you were anywhere near the battlefield."

Naruto was listening attentively now.

"So after the war's over he goes back to the village and they make him their leader."

"You mean like Hokage?"

"Yup, he had finally achieved his dream and even more. He was strongest not only in the village but the whole land. He got married, the village got even stronger and the village, his friends, his family and girls he had never seen before in his life absolutely adored him. When you look at it like that, it does seem like it could be a perfect happily ever after."

"It wasn't, wasn't it?"

Kakashi gave a bitter chuckle. "How'd you know?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Well, you're right. A couple of years later, the village had the misfortune of being attacked by a force of nature given corporeal form."

"What?"

"Oops! Sorry, forgot I can't use big words in front of you."

"Hey!"

"As I was saying, it's like a force of nature given a mind and body."

"Just get on with your stupid story!"

'_Go on Kakashi, you're almost there. He's showing more of his old self_.'

"Now, so his village was attacked by this extremely destructive force. It was a weapon unleashed upon his home by his enemies. The village's ninja went to defend it but it just killed them right and left. They still put up a brilliant fight. They managed to push it out of their village through the village walls."

"What about the Hokage-like man?"

"Well I told you he was married. Coincidentally this happened to be the night his wife was giving birth to their first-borne son."

"Damn."

"I know, he was with his wife when it attacked. When the child was finally born he made sure they were safe before going out to protect his village. He arrived in time and fought valiantly. But this wasn't like those armies he decimated. This was something much worse. After all, it was a force of nature. It couldn't be killed."

"Still it wasn't hopeless. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He distracted it and led it far away from the village. There he also went and got his son."

"His son? Why?"

"You'll see. Naruto, the thing he was fighting could not be killed. It wasn't something you could stab with a kunai and watch the life fade from its eyes. The only way to defeat something like that is to seal it. Lock it away somewhere where it can't hurt anyone. He locked it away in his son at the cost of his life."

"Why would he do that?! It's his son! I wouldn't put something that evil in my son!"

"Well Naruto...put yourself in his shoes. You have a friend or a comrade who loves his or her son as much as you love yours. Could you really ask that friend to sacrifice their child when yours is perfectly healthy and fit for the job?"

Naruto, whose back had straightened because of his indignation, slouched once more. He gave a defeated, "...Oh."

"Yeah well, it wasn't an easy choice for him to make. He was about to condemn his child to a life of loneliness and he wouldn't be there to protect him. He was about to sacrifice his short life to a village he had dedicated much of his time to. There was so much life had left to offer but he gave it all up. If there is a heaven, the jutsu he was using pretty much assured him that he was going nowhere near it."

"He gave all that up for his village?"

'_This kid has nothing next to sensei's intelligence_.'

"Yup he did. He gave all that up but he knew his village would be safe. He knew his son would be strong enough to stand up to any challenge put before him, strong enough that by will alone he could effectively keep the weapon at bay, strong enough that nothing would ever keep him down."

Somehow Kakashi's one eye seemed to look into both of Naruto's eyes with a hard determined look when he said his next words.

"Naruto, he knew _you_ would never give up."

Naruto froze. All his breath left him in one go.

"That man, your father was-"

"The F-fourth Ho...kage?" Naruto finished for him.

Kakashi got up and was kneeling on one knee in front of Naruto. His hand was at his shoulder.

"Naruto, you have to understand." Kakashi was rushing it a bit. He couldn't let Naruto get all pissed off about why he hadn't been told this before now. "Those two ninja that attacked you. You may have been terribly outclassed by them but there's a reason these things happen. They show us our limits so that we can rise above them. No one's perfect. We all make mistakes but we are strong because of our mistakes. Because we learn from our weaknesses. That's why he chose you Naruto. Because you were his son. Because he knew that just like him, you had the strength to break past your limits, overcome your weaknesses and learn from your mistakes."

The blank look Naruto had been giving him a few seconds ago was gradually fading away to be replaced with a gaze filled with determination and courage.

A fire had been rekindled.

"You think moping around and feeling sorry for yourself will help anyone? It won't do a single thing. Those two men? They didn't come here to show you that you were nothing. They came and showed you that you had to be something. Something bigger than them. Something bigger than all of us."

Even Kakashi himself was getting fired up by his pep talk.

"So Naruto, what are you prepared to do?"

Naruto leaped to his feet, looking absolutely refreshed and energized.

"I'm gonna take _my_ first step!"

"Well?" Kakashi stood up as well, a motion that was much smoother than it had been in years. "What are you waiting for?"

Soon the duo, filled with testosterone, found themselves before Sasuke's house. They had been in the Uchiha training ground which essentially meant they were in the Uchiha compound. This also meant that the distance to Sasuke's house was like a small walk.

On the way Naruto, who was already trying to emulate his father's brains, asked Kakashi for advice on how to face Sasuke.

"What you have to accept Naruto is that right now, Sasuke is a better ninja than you. His ninjutsu is better, his genjutsu is way better and his taijutsu is only a little bit better. But just because he's better doesn't mean you can't beat him. You just have to outthink him, something I know you're better than him at if your pranks are any indication."

"Don't face him straight-on. Pull something out of your sleeve from the start or face him directly and then pull some trick while he's distracted. Kage bunshin are excellent for this and considering you can make a thousand..."

"Also when you do use Kage bunshin, don't have them just jump on him all at once. Use your superior numbers to co-ordinate your attacks until you overwhelm him. It's like having team-mates."

"I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm sure you can pull something off Naruto."

It was a lot to take in but Naruto had got the gist of it and he was confident he could pull this off. He was the Fourth Hokage's son. His dad would never have let him mope like that.

As he stood before Sasuke's front door, (he knew it because it had been the target of a few pranks) Naruto took a few deep breaths before knocking. He waited for a moment before knocking again. Sasuke opened the door immediately his hand went down.

"What do you want, dobe?" Sasuke asked while eyeing the masked jounin standing in the middle of the street.

"Rematch. You. Me. Right now."

"You never give up do you?"

Naruto grinned. "Believe it."

'_He never grinned, or said that line of his once this morning. Something's changed...or gone back to normal_' Sasuke thought.

"Didn't I already prove that I am stronger than you? Have you noticed that I've been doing that ever since we joined the academy? When will you finally understand that you beating me is impossible?"

"You won the battle, Sasuke-teme. Not the war."

"Fine, how about we make a deal. If I beat you right now, you never bother me for a fight again. If you win you can bother me all you want. Sound fair?"

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into Sasuke." Naruto replied. His grin was even wider.

Sasuke smirked the patented Uchiha smirk. "Ok then. I'll knock you out right here, right now."

Sasuke's foot snapped out smashing into Naruto's chest and sending him off his front porch and into the air. Naruto did a back flip in mid-air and landed on his feet on the concrete street of the Uchiha district.

The stage was set.

Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves only to reappear on a roof some distance away. His Icha Icha book which was halfway out of his pouch was slowly pushed back in. "This should be interesting," he said as he made himself comfortable.

Naruto rose back to his full height, holding his chest while trying to get the breath back in his lungs. Sasuke calmly walked forward until he too was on the street.

"Do you get it dobe? You can't win."

Naruto grit his teeth while crouching. "We'll see about that teme!"

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

'_This again?'_ Sasuke thought.

Seven perfect copies of Naruto burst into existence around the original but unlike earlier today they weren't glancing nervously at each other, urging one to go first. They all looked like they wanted a piece of him and they were going to make sure there was plenty to go around.

For a total of five seconds all eight Naruto's and Sasuke stared each other down before Sasuke decided to go on the offensive again just like Naruto had forced him to do earlier that day.

Another difference was that he wasn't forced to attack just because Naruto was too scared to. This time Naruto had wanted him to. This was revealed when as soon as Sasuke landed in their midst all Narutos scattered to form a circle around the last Uchiha. Sasuke had to blink in surprise. He hadn't really been focusing on him but he was not exactly sure which Naruto was real.

In the distance, Kakashi raised his eye in surprise. Regardless of how simple it was, that was actually well thought out for someone taking their first steps in battle strategy but the effectiveness could only be seen in how Naruto handled it from here. Naruto had not yet begun to fight.

"Seriously dobe, you really should just give up. I don't know where you got this belief that you can still beat me, but if you don't give up I might have to seriously hurt you. Just. Give. Up."

The shout came from behind him.

"NOT TODAY!"

Sasuke turned believing the real Naruto had revealed himself. A second later he heard the shuffling of feet and turned round right again to see a fist heading straight for his face.

Without thinking Sasuke tilted his own head to the side neatly avoiding the punch. Sweeping his leg forward, that Naruto was knocked off his feet and hit the ground face-first, bursting into smoke a moment later.

Two Narutos from opposite sides of him attacked him next. Sasuke disposed of these two just as easily as the first by grabbing one Naruto's arm and swinging right into the second just as that Naruto was on top of him. What Sasuke hadn't counted on was the fact that both Naruto's would create a smoke screen thick enough to block his sight for a few seconds.

Very crucial seconds as Sasuke paused long enough for a Naruto to appear before Sasuke and bury his fist in the Uchiha's gut.

Such was Sasuke's surprise that he let the blow carry him off his feet and he was sent tumbling back head over heels over the rough concrete. Still he managed to control his movement and end up on one knee, breathing heavily to regain the wind that was knocked out of his lungs. The hand that rested on his torso showed just how much pain Naruto had managed to inflict on him.

Kakashi smiled. He was confident now that Naruto would go places, just as long as he didn't change the most important aspect about himself.

Sasuke's eyes were wide with shock. Naruto had hit him. Not a glancing blow, not a flick but a full on punch to the gut. Sasuke was no stranger to pain (Itachi had made sure of that) but still it had been a long time since anyone had dared to hit him. That meant the pain was a little bit harder for him to take. The shock in his eyes was replaced by fury and it was right to say that at that point, after realizing that Naruto actually had a shot at beating him but refusing to acknowledge it, Sasuke lost his cool.

Naruto on the other hand was ecstatic. He stared at his hand like it was a bowl of ramen handed down from the gods themselves. The hand that had knocked Sasuke Uchiha down to the ground.

This feeling of accomplishing something; he could get used to it. It would be hard. He knew he wouldn't always win. However he also knew that when he did, he would forever feel like the most badass man on the planet and boy, would it feel good.

He turned to Sasuke and grinned, before thrusting his fist out. As if Naruto's feelings had been telepathically sent to them, the remaining clones all did the same. Sasuke glared back. No words were spoken. No words were needed.

All remaining clones charged with Naruto right behind them. Sasuke got back to his feet and stood in a ready stance. He wouldn't hold back now.

Sasuke took out the first with a leaping kick, dropped to the ground and used his forward momentum to slide inside the second's guard and punch it in the chest. The third tried to kick him in the chest but Sasuke slid to the slide and smoothly redirected the leg making that Naruto continue moving behind him. The fourth clone attacked with a drop kick which Sasuke simply ducked under. The drop kick however met the third Naruto who was turning round at that point dispelling it. A blow to the back of the head from Sasuke dispelled the last clone.

That only left the real Naruto.

Naruto attacked just as Sasuke was turning to face him with a knee kick he had used on Mizuki the other day. Sasuke was left with little choice than to raise his arms to block. While the strike did little damage Sasuke was sent rolling back a second time.

Sasuke hastily got back to his feet gritting his teeth. He would not stand for this. He could not let this happen.

Naruto was quickly upon him once more and the two finally engaged in one on one taijutsu. Both boys entered a trance where they performed moves neither had known they could do before. Kakashi, not one easily impressed by other's skills (his sensei had been the fourth Hokage), was very impressed at the sight of the two to-be-ninja giving it their all. Most genin this age fought like brawlers, slow and unsure of what their next move should be.

Well, Naruto still fought like a brawler, only he was like a brawler who was actually aware of what was happening every second of the fight.

Sasuke was anything but a brawler. He fought with a sort of grace that revealed just how much personal training he had put himself through, how much he had mastered the moves already shown to him.

For every hit Naruto scored, Sasuke repaid the favour five times. Still Naruto absorbed them and fought on. It was like every time he did hit him Naruto would just get faster, forcing Sasuke to up his game also.

The brief one on one taijutsu duel ended when both of Sasuke's fists crashed into Naruto's defence which was his forearms crossed over his torso.

The force of the blow knocked Naruto back and Sasuke didn't hesitate to follow. As he was rolling back Naruto gained enough control to form the cross-shaped seal. Sasuke's advance was brought to a halt when a clone barred his path but it was quickly dispatched.

He tried to move forward but now two clones stood in his way. The original Naruto was now on one knee with both hands forming the shadow clone seal. More and more clones burst into existence around him.

Letting out a battle cry Sasuke charged forward once more but this time no clone stopped him. He tore through them like a bolt of lightning. At the time he didn't realize it but the blur of orange around him was beginning to become clearer and clearer. Each Naruto came into focus almost like some sort of targeting system.

It wasn't long before miniature fireballs coupled with the occasional large one began flying all over the place. From his spot Kakashi lazily pinched his hair after a fireball lit a tiny flame on a strand of hair. A few seconds later he grabbed a shuriken out of the air that had been about to go through his nose. Sasuke was really going all out if he was bringing out his weapons and all his fire ninjutsu.

In almost no time at all Sasuke stood alone in the street. Adrenaline flooded through his veins as his head swivelled round looking for the one Naruto he knew would not burst into a cloud of smoke. Even Kakashi was curious. What trick was Naruto about to pull out of his sleeve? He was almost tempted to pull out his Sharingan.

Sasuke barely heard the pop sound that signified displaced air, but when he did he turned round immediately to see Naruto's fist inches away from his face. In the time it took the fist to reach its intended target, the blur of red and black in Sasuke's irises cleared to form a chain of dots with one tomoe in each eye.

Naruto took little notice of this. The grin was already forming on his face. Sasuke wouldn't be able to react to this one in time. As far as he knew this was already in the bag.

The corner of Kakashi's lips lifted upwards in a smile beneath his mask. He already knew what Naruto had done and it pleased him that underneath all that silliness that was Uzumaki Naruto, a genius was using tactics that even he would never dream of. However, if his observations on Sasuke's increasing reaction times were right, the outcome was not so predictable.

Naruto could see the surprise and panic etched on Sasuke's face. This was his fight. He would win.

Not.

Naruto's fist grazed Sasuke's cheek.

It was Naruto's turn to be surprised.

Sasuke's hand shot out latching onto Naruto's extended one before his right foot kicked Naruto's shin. The result was Naruto being lifted into the air. Without stopping or slowing Sasuke still holding onto Naruto's arm spun round, using Naruto's momentum to add to his own. Chakra flooded into all the muscles in Sasuke's arms in order for him to complete this move.

When Sasuke let go, Naruto flew through the air, bounced on the ground once then crashed through the door of one of the neglected houses of the Uchiha compound.

After the sounds of things breaking stopped, a tense silence followed disturbed only by the sounds of Sasuke's heavy panting.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose.

Sasuke glared at the house he had thrown Naruto into before staggering then falling onto one knee. An instant later Kakashi was at his side via use of shunshin.

"Sasuke listen to me. Cut off the chakra to your eyes. You've been using too many fire jutsu to use the Sharingan now."

"...Sharingan? I...got it?" Despite his exhausted state, Sasuke could still co-ordinate his facial muscles into the Uchiha smirk. It didn't stop him from falling onto his side.

"Sasuke, cut off the chakra to your eyes now." Kakashi commanded in a tone he knew he would now be using often.

The Uchiha blinked and his eyes resembled coal once more.

"Now I think I need to get you to the hospital. Kami knows the last Uchiha should die from anything but a lack of chakra at twelve years old." He called out to the blonde. "Naruto? Are you still conscious?"

Naruto stumbled out, fixing his hitai-ate back in place on his forehead. "Where is the bastard?!" he yelled out almost drunkenly. It occurred to Kakashi that the cloth of Naruto's hitai-ate was looking increasingly soaked from some kind of liquid. Three seconds later the liquid seeped out of the edges. It was blood.

Kakashi sweat dropped as Naruto shook his fist at the collapsed Sasuke.

"C'mon bastard! This ain't over."

"Is that...Naruto?" Sasuke muttered. "Damn he's heavy. Barely threw him."

Kakashi stood between two delirious boys; one from chakra exhaustion, another from either a concussion or blood loss or both. How did he always find himself in these situations?

"You!" Naruto pointed at Kakashi. "Did I win?"

"Ummm...no its more of a draw."

"That means...I...ummm," Naruto scratched the back of his head as if looking for the word. "lost?"

*sigh* "No, Naruto. You didn't lose. A draw is when-"

"Hah! I didn't lose!" Naruto interrupted while punching the air above him. The action proved to be too much when he face planted right on the ground in front of him.

Kakashi's senses were suddenly assaulted by the presences of rapidly approaching nin, probably Anbu.

It was then he found out that this was a compromising situation to be found in. The last Uchiha and a jinchuriki all with varying degrees of injury at his feet? No, Kakashi didn't feel like submitting himself to questioning.

Copying Naruto's technique, Kakashi formed a shadow clone. The clone picked up Sasuke who was just muttering heavy and Sharingan, sometimes all at once while he picked up Naruto who was slowly slipping into unconsciousness but with a smile on his face. Before they did however, Sasuke had something to say.

"N-Naruto?"

"...Yeah Sasuke?"

"You...you can spar with me anytime."

If anything Naruto's smile became more peaceful.

"Also...are you fat? Since you're like...so heavy?"

The moment was lost.

"You bastard! Beneath this orange, there is only muscle!"

The two Kakashis chuckled as they carried the two boys piggyback style before heading for the hospital.

Two minutes later, two Anbu agents arrived at the Uchiha compound both with many questions about why it looked like a battle had just taken place.

"Crap. They're gonna make us clean this up, won't they?"

**This chapter is short I know but since I just left people hanging after one chapter I thought I should just post this to let people know I've not died or forgotten my fanfiction duties. **

**This was basically Naruto getting his mojo back chapter. I don't like leaving this here but I thought I should because of how long I haven't posted chapter two of all things.**

**Hopefully you'll all understand.**

**This was basically the only part I thought was kinda (still not sure) satisfactory. Any reviews are welcomed.**

**Also for anyone that didn't get it, Naruto got his first beat down from Sasuke when he was trying to see if he had any hope as a ninja. Good thing Kakashi gave him that pep talk or Naruto may just have become a farmer instead until Danzou or Akatsuki kidnapped him.**

**Also yes, I upped Naruto's taijutsu. This is due to the fact that taijutsu-oriented ninjas are awesome.**

**Also sorry if this little chapter looked too dramatic. I was going for dramatic but I may have overdone it.**

**Enjoy. **

**Markandname**


	3. Chapter three: Exodus

**I give you chapter three of JEP. A bit rushed, but enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter three<strong>

"Raikage-sama...I...I implore you to reconsider. I can't do this! It's just-! Why!?"

Mabui, personal assistant of the Fourth Raikage, fought a valiant battle to keep the smile off her face. Why? Her best friend was close to completely losing it.

When Yugito Nii, jinchuriki of the two tailed cat, aimed her glare at her, Mabui knew she had lost and thus hid her face from view behind the scroll which was the cause of this meeting in the first place.

The Raikage ran his massive hand down his face in exasperation. "Yugito, this was supposed to last fifteen minutes tops, and now three quarters of an hour have passed. To be honest, I'm quite tired of your bitching. As Raikage, I order you to go on this extended mission!" He finished his statement by slamming his fist on his desk. Yugito flinched when the legs of the desk snapped and the sound of wood striking the hard floor echoed through the office.

"Damn it Yugito. Look what you made me do! I actually liked that desk."

"Just like you liked the other hundred desks you smashed," Mabui added dryly. She due to her occupation was unruffled by the Raikage's violent nature having borne witness to it, time and time again.

"Shut up Mabui. Now Yugito, these leaf nin are actually ok people," At Yugito's raised eyebrow he hastily added, "that is, when you're not fighting a war against them."

Mabui chose this moment to join in the conversation, "Apart from that, an alliance between the two most powerful hidden villages has many benefits, not the least of which is to combat this new organization that is targeting you and other jinchuriki alike."

"Then why me! Why do I have to go outside the village!?"

"Relax, you'll be travelling with twenty-three Anbu and a ninja of your choice, same as Uzumaki-san. You'll meet in Yugakure. Hell, if you get there earlier than them you could use the opportunity to relax a little. There will be a time-frame of three days where both of you have to arrive there. Arrive late and you will most definitely not be going to Konoha and this fragile alliance will be broken. Do not even think about arriving late just to get out of this." Mabui stifled a giggle when her friend began to whistle innocently.

"You will carry two scrolls. The first will be handed over upon meeting up at Yugakure. You will then depart with the leaf nin and the cloud ninja whom you chose and vice versa for Uzumaki-san for your respective villages. Once you have arrived hand the second scroll to the Hokage and further instructions will be issued from there."

Yugito sighed. If all this work had already been put into this, she couldn't just back down just because she wanted to.

Throughout it all, the Raikage watched Yugito with more scrutiny than he would usually pay to any person or issue. Unbidden, words from long ago came back to him just like they did every time he saw B or Yugito.

"Listen Yugito," he began softly (not that it was noticeable), "someone I respect, once told me that jinchuriki has to find that one thing that tethers them to reality. Something that can ground them, something to always look forward to, something that can bring _you_ peace."

"We both know that so far, although this is your home, Kumo hasn't offered you such a thing yet." He raised a hand to silence her when she opened her mouth to protest. "The difference between us is that I have acknowledged that. You need to do so too, more for your benefit than mine. This trip will perhaps put things into perspective for you and when you get back you may either have found or be that much closer to finding it."

Yugito just stood there stunned. It wasn't often the unruly A let loose words of insight and wisdom. Any defence, any fight she had left in her evaporated on the spot. The Raikage was right, however much she wanted to deny it. Lately her life had lacked that warmth. She had thought that dumping Darui would make her life easier but her life just became devoid of any colour after that. Going back to him was not an option as he had faded to gray just like everything else. The flame had already been snuffed out.

Hanging her head dejectedly she muttered, "When do I leave?"

Mabui's words were cheerful in an attempt to lighten the mood. "That's up to you actually. We're trying to randomize the dates so as to shake off this organization. But it has to be soon so you don't miss the time-frame. The Anbu team is just waiting for the word."

"Understood. I'll leave immediately." The Raikage let out a positive grunt. Yugito turned to leave before hesitating then facing A again. "A-sama, could you do me this one favour?"

"Hmmm? Sure."

"Could Mabui be my guide?"

"Unacceptable."

Yugito blinked in outrage. The man hadn't even taken one second to think about it.

"Why not?!"

A went on like they were talking about the weather. "She is my assistant and I'm Raikage, that's why. You think I'll let her leave me here with all this paperwork about the alliance? Hell. No."

Mabui meanwhile was blushing slightly. Apparently these two fighting over her was a form of flattery she didn't get very often.

The jinchuriki of the two tailed cat sighed deeply. It seemed things were...thick. She would have to take drastic measures, and they would have to be really drastic if they would get through to the thick-headed fool who sat before her. Nevertheless, she had never backed down from a challenge.

Only Mabui noticed the glint in her best friend's eye. She knew what was coming and couldn't help but smirk.

Five minutes later, the door to the Raikage's office slammed open.

"Pack your bags Mabui! We're going to the Land of the Hot Springs!" was Yugito's triumphant shout. She strode out of the office a second later, in a way that could only be described as 'like a boss'. Mabui trailed after looking for all intent like a crazed fan, with the giggling and the squealing and the maniacal laughter.

Darui, the Raikage's right hand man, a pocketing dark skinned white haired man stared after his former girlfriend for a moment before he chose that opportunity to go in for his appointment. He was greeted with the sight of a passed out Raikage about to drown in a pool of his own blood which continuously leaked out of his nose.

"That lucky bastard."

**...Naruto's Day of Departure...**

Zeroing on the large chakra signature, Jiraiya landed before the Ichiraku Ramen establishment.

"Good grief, if he's doing what I think he's doing then he'll probably be too bloated to move on his own two feet. I might have to carry him. No, I don't think I'll manage. 'Bunta might have to carry him."

Chuckling at his own joke along with the mental image of a fat Naruto filled with ramen, Jiraiya entered the stall. He was surprised when he didn't see Naruto seating at one of the stools. Jiraiya wasn't the best chakra sensor but he knew what to look for thanks to natural chakra, therefore he could sense the general area someone could be in if he focused.

If that general area also happened to have Ichiraku Ramen somewhere in there, an academy student could make a good guess of where Naruto could be.

However Naruto was not current stuffing himself on one of the stools. So that left the question, where could Naruto be?

A cute brown-haired teenage girl, who he knew to be the chef's daughter, appeared. Automatically, Jiraiya studied her before declaring her as too young in his mind. He was a super pervert, but a pedophile he was not. He couldn't deny the cuteness though.

"Ummm...excuse me, have you seen Naruto?"

He wasn't attracted to her but he still felt like a bastard when he saw the frown that came upon her features. "Awwww...he's leaving now?"

Jiraiya also frowned at that. Naruto had apparently disclosed an S-class secret to a ramen chef and his daughter.

Jiraiya just nodded while masking his annoyance.

"Naruto! It's time!" she called.

"Ok Ayame! In a sec." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. What was Naruto doing back there?

Naruto walked out, in the process of taking off an apron with an elderly man who was patting him on the back.

"There you go Naruto," The old man chuckled, "Now you can make ramen just as well as I can!"

Naruto's grin was infectious. "That's a lie Teuchi-jiji. No one can make ramen like you!"

Teuchi sighed before wrapping Naruto in a monster hug. "We're gonna miss you Naruto."

With tears at the corner of her eyes, Ayame joined in the hug. Jiraiya watched on, feeling both touched and a bit awkward in the presence of such a heart warming moment.

"I'll miss you too. Both of you. You're the best friends I ever had."

"Ahhem."

Three glares were aimed at Jiraiya but he didn't give a damn. "We're sort of...you know...on a schedule."

Teuchi extricated himself from the mess but Ayame latched on this time burying Naruto's face in her still developing bust.

"Stay safe, will you? And promise me you'll eat something other than ramen."

Naruto managed to chuckle. "No promises there Ayame." Teuchi raised an eyebrow. That was the first time Naruto ever used that phrase, and it was not out of ignorance.

When Ayame let go and Naruto approached Jiraiya, he had a hard time figuring out what the hell his godfather could be scribbling in a notebook.

"In the future Naruto, when we tell you that something is an S-class secret it means that you don't tell anyone. Not even you're best friends." He said gesturing to Ayame and Teuchi.

Teuchi only let out a small "Oh" while Ayame giggled. Naruto had the decency to look embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Good grief," Jiraiya said shaking his head with a small smile. An S-class secret it was, but at least Naruto now knew that someone here would miss him.

"Are you ready, kid?"

Naruto set his face into a hard determined expression.

"Yeah"

"Then let's go."

As the toad sage took to the rooftops, Naruto lingered to give the Ichiraku patrons a bright smile, then he too was gone.

Jiraiya studied the boy as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Naruto's expression was determined but his body spoke a whole other language. Even due to the fact that they were both in motion, Jiraiya, a man who made a living in the information business could pick out the slight shaking of the boy's fingers.

'_I see...Kakashi didn't get rid of all the fear, but having the courage to still go through with this is still a big first step._'

The trip was made in silence with neither of them really wanting to reach the destination. A part of Naruto's attention was on Jiraiya who he was following while the other was busy taking in the sight of Konoha.

'_I won't see that for a while, or that, or that, or that..._'

Then a thought struck him.

'_I might not even live to see my village again._'

Naruto's landing on the next building was awkward and he stumbled. Cursing he struggled to catch up to the toad sage. Luckily Jiraiya pretended not to notice.

Five minutes later the two stood before the Third Hokage. Naruto found he couldn't look the Hokage in the eye so he instead settled for looking at the sunset that lay beyond the window. Soon it would be dark.

"Naruto," Sarutobi began, "you know about your parents now, don't you?"

Naruto nodded stiffly, still avoiding the old man's gaze.

"Naruto, do you know why I didn't tell you?"

The wall Naruto had been trying to hold up broke with those few simple words. All the anger he had been trying to hold in came to the fore. Still Naruto held it in with sheer willpower but it was there on display for the world to see. It manifested itself in his expression, the way his shoulders tensed, the way he curled his fingers into a fist, the way he stood with his back straight...

It was like a dam waiting to burst but it wouldn't. Naruto had become guarded the past week. He'd asked Kakashi about his father at the hospital after his fight with Sasuke. One of the finer points he'd been told about the man was his ability to handle any situation with a calm and cool mind. Naruto was trying to emulate that right at that moment.

It still needed a lot of work.

"Naruto, if word got out about that people would come for you just like those two did."

Naruto sucked in a breath.

"Your father was a legend among ninja. He killed a lot of people. Among those people are fathers, mothers, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and so on and so forth. We love him for fighting for us but there are even more who hate him for fighting against them. Those are people who wouldn't hesitate to come after his son especially after his death."

Naruto shuddered. Sarutobi had just told him that the whole world out there would come for him just like those two men had. That suffocating fear he'd had when he was in Itachi's presence, he had buried it, but right now it was clawing its way to the surface, threatening to overwhelm him again.

A hand on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up into the old man's eyes.

"Don't worry Naruto. That's why you're making this trip. When you're done, you'll be able to handle any of those people."

"Just like your father could." Jiraiya added.

His beating heart slowed and his breathing became deeper. Naruto nodded. He could do this.

"Well then, let's be off."

Sarutobi's hand on Naruto's shoulder tightened its grip. Naruto experienced the strange sensation of having left a few organs and body parts somewhere for less than a second before they all slammed into him again.

He blinked. They were no longer in Sarutobi's office but in a large dimly lighted room. It looked like some sort of cave.

All around him were Anbu, the elite of the village in the process of preparing themselves for the coming mission.

Jiraiya appeared amidst a swirl of leaves. He led the way to a corner of the room where someone had left a new set of Anbu armour and gear. It looked suspiciously small.

"Naruto, we are inside the Hokage monument – Area H-2-4 of the village. This area is usually used as a safe house for civilians and genin during village emergencies or as in this case a briefing room when a large amount of our Anbu forces are to being sent on a mission."

"You mean we're going with all these-"

"Twenty-three Anbu? Yes. Jiraiya here makes twenty-four. More than enough to keep you safe." The Hokage finished with a smile.

Naruto's vision was eclipsed by a dark piece of fabric suddenly colliding with his face. Slowly he took the shirt off before staring at it then at Jiraiya whose arms were folded.

"Suit up, kid. I am not taking you anywhere looking like you got gang-banged by cray-"

"What Jiraiya meant to say is," a familiar voice interrupted, "we're trying to sneak through the country-side here and orange really isn't good for that."

A typical Anbu stepped forward only this one had a head topped with silver spiky hair.

"Ka-Kakashi?"

"Yup but for the duration of this mission, I'm Inu. Anbu protocol, you see."

Naruto didn't really get it, but nodding and pretending he did had served him well in the past and it served him here now.

"C'mon brat. Change!" Jiraiya was clearly impatient.

Naruto's old personality surged forth when his orange was challenged.

"But I like orange!"

"Your enemies will like it too because it's the biggest bulls-eye in the history of the elemental nations."

Naruto glared at the man while begrudgingly picking up the gear. "Where do I change?" he asked sulking. Jiraiya pointed at a nearby door and Naruto disappeared behind it.

"So Kakashi, couldn't resist?" Jiraiya said trying to make conversation. Around them, the organized chaos of the Anbu corps preparations continued.

"It's the uniform. Chicks dig me even more when I put this on."

"The uniform? Sure, we can go with that."

When Naruto returned, he had managed to get most of it right. From the arm guards to the straps at his shin it was all good. Even the two pouches at his back and the kunai holster were secure. His only problem was the chest armour which he had deigned to difficult to even try to put on. Luckily Kakashi was on the scene to rectify that little problem and when he was done, Naruto looked like an honest to god ninja.

There were few differences in attire between him and the Anbu around him such as he didn't have a sword on his person. Also, where Anbu wore a sleeveless shirt under their armour, he wore a short-sleeved shirt that came with a hood to hide his sun-kissed blonde hair.

"I left my old clothes back there." Naruto said while tugging at his leather fingerless gloves.

"It's ok. They'll just burn them." Jiraiya turned away but Naruto's next sentence made him focus his attention back on the boy.

"I also left the hitai-ate. Could I...get...another one?" Naruto continued looking every bit the shy kid.

Inwardly Sarutobi nodded. He should have seen this coming. Naruto probably was doing his best to forget that night, yet the hitai-ate was a symbol of that night since he'd received it moments before his nightmare began.

With his eyes on the boy, Sarutobi called out, "Ferret!"

A dark-haired Anbu with ferret mask blurred into existence beside the Hokage.

"Fetch me a new hitai-ate, his size at once."

Dipping his head, the Anbu was gone as quickly as he had come.

Jiraiya spoke. "Naruto," he began softly. He had had the same thoughts as the Hokage. "You probably won't even get to wear it while in Kumo because you'll have to wear one of theirs."

"I...I don't wanna forget the village."

Sarutobi gave the boy an encouraging smile and Naruto weakly smiled back. He wanted to forget that night. Not the village. Sarutobi had absolutely no problem with that.

Naruto blinked and Ferret was once more beside the Hokage, holding out a hitai-ate with black cloth. Sarutobi took it and Ferret was gone. Sarutobi held it out for Naruto to take and Naruto responded by picking it with a shaky hand.

Naruto didn't see a bloody Iruka when he held this hitai-ate and it was with that grateful thought that he put it on.

He looked up to see Kakashi who was giving him a thumbs up, Jiraiya who nodded encouragingly and Sarutobi who was smiling warmly.

"You look just like you're father Naruto."

Naruto couldn't help but grin at the praise while scratching the back of his head. "Thanks."

Jiraiya turned to face the Anbu.

"Ok so listen up. The Hokage has something to say!"

Sarutobi cleared his throat.

"Greetings fellow comrades. As you may very well know, you have been summoned for an S-class mission, the details of which will be unveiled to you now."

"Konohagakure has just recently signed a treaty with Kumogakure. This treaty will be sealed by perhaps the most symbolic sign of trust a village can give; the exchange of jinchuriki. Jinchuriki are a representation of a village's military strength as one jinchuriki could very well turn the tide of a whole battle. By carrying out this mission, we are effectively showing that we trust Kumo with our military strength and vice versa."

"Now many of you would think this is too soon, but I assure you that this is a plan that has long been in the making. The mission can be classified as an escort/bodyguard mission. Your objective is to escort Naruto from here up to Yugakure. You will need to get there within a three day time-frame: July twenty-fourth to July twenty-sixth. The exchange will happen at that point within that time-frame. If the exchange fails to happen within those conditions return home with Naruto unharmed."

"If the exchange goes smoothly, you will be escorting Kumo's jinchuriki back to Konoha along with her personal guard. Jiraiya here, as Naruto's personal guard, will continue with him to Kumo. You will make sure both jinchuriki arrive at their destination safely, am I clear?"

"Hai Hokage-sama!" twenty-two voices yelled.

Sarutobi placed a hand on Naruto's head. "Naruto is the first package. You will guard him with your lives. Failure is not an option. The main hostile threat is Akatsuki. They can be identified by their attire which consists of black cloaks with red clouds. We believe they travel usually in groups of two. Known members are Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, monster of the mist."

"I believe in you all, my comrades. May the will of fire guide you!"

Jiraiya took the stage. "I am the leader of this mission. That means all of you answer to me. If you hear, see or smell something funny I want you to come straight to me. I believe we have team Alpha, Beta, Kappa and Sigma. Formation: diamond. Team Sigma, you are the recon squad. I want you taking point with two-three members acting as scouts. Team Beta take you're the right. Kappa, to the left. Alpha, watch our backs."

"Since we are a large force, we travel by night and rest by day. Let's move out!"

One of the Anbu moved to a wall and after forming a few hand seals slammed his hand on the wall. A seal shone flashed on the wall before the stone began to move to the side revealing a passage through the rock of the mountain. The Anbu began to blur through it.

"Well I guess this is goodbye Naruto-kun." The boy turned to face the old man. "Try not to stress the Raikage with your pranks."

Naruto's lips twitched before he suddenly threw himself forward and latched onto the Hokage.

"Hold on Naruto. I'm not as strong as I look."

"I'll miss you too old man."

Naruto stepped back. His eyes roamed over the old man as if trying to memorise every detail.

"C'mon Naruto. We have to leave."

They were the last four in the chamber.

Naruto followed Jiraiya and Kakashi up to the passageway before proclaiming. "When I come back old man, I'll be kicking all kinds of ass! Even yours!"

Sarutobi looked a bit stunned before chuckling. "That's what I like to hear Naruto-kun. Until we meet again."

The passageway sealed shut after that.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Naruto was staring at the rock that moved to cover the exit to the passageway they had just come through. That was probably the moment when everything clicked. This was the first time he had left the village and it would be a long time before he came back. Over the tops of trees the village walls loomed above him. Moonlight shone down on Konoha as if gracing Naruto with one last magnificent view of its walls.<p>

Why did it feel like he had been kicked out?

Naruto turned away, his fists clenched. 'It's better this way' were the words he was using to comfort himself. He would come back stronger so what was a few months.

"Naruto," the blonde looked up to see Jiraiya's form towering over him, "we'll need to move as quickly as we can on this little journey of yours so that means we can't afford to have anyone slowing us down. Unfortunately, you will slow us down."

Naruto winced.

"Blunt as ever, eh Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi chuckled.

"And that is why Kakashi has so very nicely volunteered to carry you."

A double "What!?" echoed around the clearing.

"Yes, he did. He said he'll do it if he wants the manuscript for my new Icha Icha book." Jiraiya finished with a grin.

Naruto peeked around the large sannin to see Anbu Kakashi raising a shaking fist towards Jiraiya. He could also hear several of the male Anbu muttering things like, "That lucky bastard," while the female Anbu just shook their heads in exasperation.

"Think about it kid. I know you dodged Anbu during your pranks but it was never because you could beat them in a contest of speed."

Naruto looked away, his cheeks red. Regardless of recent events he did not think himself so much a sissy that he needed to be carried.

"I don't like this." He mumbled.

Kakashi walked forward and crouched before Naruto. "Trust me Naruto. You're not the only one." Naruto uncomfortably wrapped his hands around Kakashi's neck and then the man stood up lifting him off the ground.

"Damn Naruto, I hope Kumo's first act of training is to put you on a diet."

Naruto would have been blind not to notice the way Jiraiya's eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Out of shape Kakashi? This is good for you. For once you'll be exercising something other than you're right hand."

Naruto didn't really get what Jiraiya said but the way the Anbu all began to cough at once to hide their laughter told him that this had to be a joke. He put on the hood and settled in for an uncomfortable journey.

"I hate you," Kakashi muttered darkly.

Jiraiya ignored him. "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's move out."

A second later the clearing they stood in was completely empty.

* * *

><p>It was four days later that Naruto and his escort arrived at the designated exchange point, on the second day of the three-day period. Naruto and the rest of the Anbu skidded to a stop before the Kumo party, just as the sun began to peek out on the horizon.<p>

The blonde had outright refused to be carried on their last stretch. Naruto's pride wasn't what it once was, but it still had its limits. Since they travelled during the night, Naruto's days were spent sleeping or in boredom in some Leaf bunker cave or random clearing. That time had been consumed by spars and light chakra exercises such as the tree-climbing and water-walking exercise, introduced by Jiraiya and taught by Kakashi and another Anbu Naruto knew as Yugao.

Surprisingly enough, albeit with a lot of effort due to extremely large chakra capacities, Naruto had already mastered tree-climbing, and he was at a stage of the water-walking exercise where all he needed was personal practice. A growth curve, which if you put into account all the variables, rivalled Namikaze Minato's. Jiraiya attributed it to Naruto's paranoia of being attacked giving him a constant awareness and an increase in his level of focus. Whether it carried over into other facets of training was yet to be seen.

The Kumo and Konoha parties all watched each other, muscles tense, ready to spring at the slightest provocation. Years of war where both villages hadn't ever once thought of being allies, until now, could do that.

Both formations parted and two figures from both walked to meet each other in the middle. Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya walked forth to meet Yugito Nii and Mabui. They all had the most serious of expressions on their faces all except for one.

Jiraiya's expression was positively gleeful.

Before they reached each other Naruto heard the man utter one word.

"Babes!"

When they were now a metre from each other Mabui wordlessly held out a scroll. Jiraiya held out his and they exchanged smoothly. Both channelled chakra into their respective scrolls through their thumb and the paper glowed green. Both Jiraiya and Mabui looked noticeably more comfortable after that.

It didn't take a highly trained seal master to know the thoughts going through Jiraiya's head or the heads of every male Konohan, so Mabui tried to finish this business as quickly as possible.

"Greetings, I am Mabui and this is Yugito Nii of the Hidden Cloud."

Jiraiya gestured to Naruto. "Naruto of the Hidden Leaf."

He then took a deep breath and Naruto groaned.

When Jiraiya adopted some silly pose which involved hopping on one leg, the Konoha Anbu fought the urge to slap their own foreheads.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Before you stands the epitome of manliness! The fiercest in battle! The most gentle in bed! The brave and Gallant Jira-!"

"Finish that and a war will begin here and now over your blood."

"Feisty...I like that in a woman."

The nail on Yugito's index finger had grown such that it had been an inch away from Jiraiya's jugular. Now, all she had to do was twitch and she'd break skin. "I'm warning you."

Naruto spoke up for the first time, by muttering to Jiraiya. "Ero-sennin, you're making us look bad."

Indeed, the Konoha Anbu wanted to die from embarrassment. Naruto came to their defense. "Sorry, he's just a stray who refused to leave us alone. He's not with us. He's not even wearing the hitai-ate see?"

While Jiraiya was left spluttering at the fact that he had just been so casually thrown under the bus like that, both Cloud women immediately focused on Naruto. It left the blonde feeling intensely uncomfortable, as he found he couldn't relax around people he didn't know nor trust. He was suddenly glad for his hood, which hid his eyes behind shadows. He didn't have to look anyone in the eye.

"Interesting little boy aren't you?" Yugito then made to move forward to take off the hood when a concentrated burst of killing intent stopped her in her tracks. Her forehead was suddenly coated in a light sheen of sweat as she struggled to keep her breathing normal.

She looked for the source which happened to be the Toad sage who was levelling a harsh glare at her. A warning, it seemed, meant for her and only her as no one else was affected.

Before she knew it, the man was smiling again and he and Mabui were clarifying matters.

Her gaze returned to the small boy before her, studying him with a shinobi's mind. The boy was dressed in Anbu armour; did that mean he was Anbu? He definitely looked comfortable in the gear and his posture was one of alertness, but his fingers shook slightly. His breathing was also quick and shallow.

Yes, she could practically smell his fear.

In her opinion, this boy needed all the training he could get.

Naruto, in turn, was also sizing this lady up. He wasn't as good at reading body posture and language, but her expression had already told him all he needed to know.

To her, he was nothing.

Naruto's gloved fists clenched tightly.

"Six months," Jiraiya had been saying. "Upto the next chunin exams."

"Agreed," Mabui, ever the negotiator, finished. "I bid you a safe journey, toad sage. You too, Naruto-san."

Naruto stiffly nodded while Jiraiya looked like he had made some great discovery. He looked back to see Kakashi standing at the head of the Konoha Anbu. The man had the audacity to flash Jiraiya a peace sign.

If Jiraiya could hear thoughts, he would have heard these words.

'_Looks like I get the girls this time_'

Mabui and Yugito walked past the two, with Yugito and Naruto sharing another last glance at each other and Jiraiya staring mournfully at their departing behinds.

It didn't matter. If Kumo had a tenth as many women like that, he was set.

The two watched Kakashi introduce himself and the Anbu before said ninja formed ranks around the women and took off.

"Jiraiya-sama, we had best move quickly." A feminine voice advised. The two now faced one of Kumo's Anbuoperatives, a captain, if Jiraiya guessed correctly.

Unlike Konoha Anbu, you could not even see the slightest bit of skin on them. All were heavily clothed in dark gear and armour similar to Kiri Anbu only theirs were tighter, without the bagginess.

Jiraiya especially noted how the gear clung to the captain's curves.

Yup, he was set.

Their masks were an entirely different story however. Where Konoha drew their inspiration for masks from the wildlife around them, Kumo drew theirs from creatures and beasts of legend. Naruto marvelled at how the captain's mask was so dragon-like. If they were looking for the intimidation factor, they had bloody well found it.

"You know," Jiraiya began, "I had kinda thought that since we were in the land of the hot springs, I could...umm...relax a little...do a little research...that kinda thing."

The captain was unyielding. "Then you should have arrived earlier than us. I do not intend to fail an S-rank mission because of a pervert."

"We would have arrived earlier, if you hadn't stopped to peep on every girl in every village." Naruto muttered.

Jiraiya quickly slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "We do not say such things in front of women who carry weapons that can maim, maul or dismember you!" Jiraiya harshly whispered. Indeed, Naruto saw the captain finger the hilt of her sword.

The captain held up a hand and her Shinobi immediately formed a pentagonal sort of formation around them.

"Can he keep up?" the captain asked Jiraiya.

Jiraiya, in turn, turned to Naruto. "Do you want me to carry you again, brat?"

Naruto's eyes burned with an unholy fire straight from the depths of hell as he felt his cheeks become hotter than the sun.

He could hear the faint snickers of the Kumo Anbu around him. So, this was the old toad's revenge for selling him out at another women's bath? '_Well played, ero-sennin_' Naruto thought, '_well played._'

"Well brat?"

"N-No! I don't need you old man!" Naruto lashed out childishly.

"Well then, let's go."

A minute later, Naruto was already pushing chakra into his legs to keep from tiring out.

* * *

><p>It was mid-morning as Naruto lay back against the trunk of a tree. His arms and legs dangled uselessly to the sides of the branch he sat on. Maybe Kakashi was right about him losing a few pounds. All those warnings from Iruka about eating all that ramen had to come and bite him in the ass one day. That day was apparently today.<p>

The sky was a stormy grey and rain poured but it was light. The few drops that reached past the leaves above him to hit his face were soothing as if each drop revitalized him.

They had passed the border to the land of lightning a day ago and were pretty deep in Kumo's territory. Two more days of this full on sprint marathon and Naruto would be at his new home.

But for the moment Naruto was content with where he was. A leaf nin, even a fresh one, would always be comfortable in the trees. The ever-present fear of Itachi jumping at him out of nowhere was still there, but Naruto was too tired to be paranoid. Besides he had twenty-three Anbu guarding him. Jiraiya had gone to a nearby town for some information gathering, but Naruto was confident in the Anbu. Either that, or it was just his tired limbs doing the talking. Naruto had a sneaking suspicion he knew which was true.

Before he knew it, his eyelids began to grow heavy and Naruto began to slip into sleep's embrace where all manner of terrible nightmares concerning red eyes and sharp teeth awaited him. However, a slight ticklish sensation caught his attention. Naruto opened his eyes to see a spider right on his nose.

Now Naruto didn't particularly care for the arachnids but he had never heard nor seen one that looked like this before.

It was white, almost angelic white and if Naruto was seeing correctly, it didn't have eyes. It also had a strange dirt-like feel to it.

Well, three seconds after examining it Naruto decided he didn't care and deftly flicked it off his nose. His eyes which until that moment had been focused on his nose, readjusted themselves and suddenly Naruto was staring at a hundred of the tiny white spiders crawling towards him.

Every nerve in his body screamed at him to move, but Naruto was stiff as a block of ice.

Salvation from the arachnids however, appeared when Naruto was suddenly yanked off the tree and into the air. A pair of hands wrapped around him and Naruto felt a female's body press against his back before the world became a haze of dark colours. Vertigo threw away any sense of balance, only made worse by the incredible burst of sound that could only come from an explosion.

Suddenly Naruto was rolling on the forest floor with whatever person had taken him there. The person immediately stood up leaving Naruto on all fours, gasping as he forced his bile to stay inside him.

He looked up to see the dark-haired Anbu captain standing over him. A dark scorch mark stood out on the back of her armour for the world to see.

"Even with a shunshin," she said with distaste.

It was a state of chaos above them. A full-scale battle was taking place between what appeared to be the Kumo Anbu and individuals in dark red cloaks. Even from down here Naruto could see how outnumbered the Kumo Anbu were.

One of the cloaked individuals raced towards them and Naruto tensed, unsure of what to do. He was spared having to think however as with a flash of steel their attacker fell to pieces, courtesy of the captain. With trepidation and fear Naruto dared to look at the corpse.

Instead of disgust however, Naruto was struck with confusion. There was no blood, no organs or anything. It was with a start that he realized it wasn't human. Gazing into its face, Naruto saw glass orbs instead of eyes, a mouth that definitely looked like it worked with a hinge and the absence of a nose.

"A puppet?" the dragon-masked captain asked.

Naruto had nothing to say to that.

Another explosion occurred above them and Naruto had to jump out of the way of a falling tree branch which crushed the puppet. Any fatigue his body held had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Fear and adrenaline coursed through his body with the force of a waterfall. It was so bad, that when the captain told him to follow her, he took off after her like a bullet.

As they ran on the forest floor, the sounds of battle rang in Naruto's ears. The screams of men and women, the crunching sound of wood breaking, the roar of explosions; it all made Naruto feel like his heart wanted to break through his ribcage. Branches, puppets and weapons fell around them, and Naruto could feel the impact through his feet each time. The clouds, as if aware of the intense battle taking place below them, poured even more rain such that Naruto had slid one more than one occasion before miraculously regaining his balance.

Naruto focused on his only source of protection; the woman who ran before him. He was completely oblivious to everything else. That was the reason he was so unprepared for what happened next.

"JUMP!" the woman before him yelled before she was suddenly in the air.

Naruto took a second to process her statement before he too leaped upwards. It was still a little too late. Below him, there was a small white light before a blaze of fire erupted before his eyes. Naruto crossed his arms over his face and torso letting his arm-guards take the brunt of the force of the explosion and boy, did they take it.

The fist over his face smacked into his nose before Naruto felt his body move at neck-breaking speeds. His armoured back crashed into many-thankfully thin- branches but the explosion had given Naruto too much momentum for them to slow him down.

When Naruto opened his eyes, he was floating above the tree-tops as if in a dream. In that split-second he caught sight of a long haired blonde man standing atop a large white bird. Naruto felt his heart catch in his throat when he saw the cloak the man wore. It was the same as Itachi's and Kisame's; black with red clouds.

The blonde man smirked.

Gravity began to do its work and Naruto's body raced for the ground. His assailant wouldn't have that though. The bird entered a steep dive and when Naruto was just about to hit the tree-line, the blonde man's hand was but an inch away from his face.

Naruto didn't have enough time to confirm, but he could have sworn he felt something like a tongue lick his face.

It was not to be however, as lightning streaked through the position where the blonde man had been, missing Naruto by inches. The blistering heat caused by the rapid expansion of air had Naruto's eyes watering.

Then he was back among the trees and he was snatched out of the air by the captain.

She set him down on a branch. "Can you run?!" Naruto nodded dazedly. "Follow me! The others are covering our escape!"

Naruto followed obediently, his legs quite shaky.

"Art is an explosion!"

On cue an explosion roared out behind them. Naruto almost lost his balance but then he channelled chakra into his feet and continued the tree hopping.

He wasn't getting out of it that easy as something sliced through his arm a second later. Naruto screamed as he was sent spinning through the air. He fell and was saved yet again by a pair of strong arms. This time, however it wasn't the captain but his fashionably late godfather. Looking into the old man's worried eyes Naruto heard someone yell, "Rasengan!" over the roar of the rain and explosions above him.

He felt a liquid run down his arm, something definitely warmer and thicker than rainwater before the stress caught up to him and he sank into blissful unconsciousness.

**Remember to review and tell me what's good and what's not. **

**Next chapter: The Village Hidden in the Clouds**


	4. Chapter 4: Settling down

**Yo, sorry I'm late again. I've rushed this out over the span of two days just for you when I realized the doc manager has no documents!**

**I've also been working on a ffxiii/Naruto crossover story that I hope to get to you sometime within the month. Yami-like Anbu Naruto dropped in the world at the beginning of the game. Any help on the subject would be appreciated.**

**So if this chapter is sub-par, don't hesitate to point it out in a review. If you like it, don't be stingy with your review, but don't just be like "Awesome chapter!". Give me some pointers people!**

**Chapter four**

"Greetings, Leader-sama," the two ethereal-looking beings bowed their heads before their superior.

Deidara and Sasori, the two Akatsuki agents that had launched the attack on Naruto and his entourage of Kumo ninja were now reporting to their leader. Their method of communication was a unique one, in that it could be carried out over long distances and it manifested their bodies to appear as dull-rainbow coloured figures on the opposite end. They at the moment were on one of Kumo's many hills, far away from any type of civilisation.

"I take it you failed," the leader observed.

"Indeed," Sasori agreed, "Our plan was to attack once the biggest threat, Jiraiya of the Sannin, was absent. Kumo Anbu managed to hold us off until he arrived."

"We would have caught him, if you had let us walk in there ourselves instead of hiding, yeah." Deidara added.

Their leader stared at them impassively. "Allowing the hidden villages to gather information on us at such a time is foolhardy. Either way, I did not expect you to succeed. Jiraiya is too much of a threat. In the mean time, head for the land of tea. There is a mission there that requires your...talents."

"Understood Leader-sama."

"Are you serious, mmmhhh!? That's like on the other side of the-!"

Deidara's outburst was promptly cut off when the leader cancelled the technique.

"Two mistakes? In less than two weeks? You are not usually this reckless Nagato."

The leader turned to face his "guest". A man of equal height stood before him clad in a dark robe with a hood. An orange mask with a swirl design on it and one eyehole stared back at him.

Nagato's answer was quick. "I do not expect you to understand my methods."

"I do not need to understand your methods. I only need to understand you and for someone that has seen what I have seen, an open book hides its contents better than you." Said the Masked man in a low voice.

"What do you need, Madara?" Nagato snapped, quickly losing patience with the man.

In an agonizingly slow pace, Madara walked towards one of the walls of the large chamber they stood in. Nagato's legendary purple ringed eyes followed him every step of the way, gauging the man's chakra, waiting for the one motion that would signify betrayal.

Madara leaned against the wall nonchalantly, "Akatsuki needs to lay low for a while. Fill our coffers and bolster our ranks. I understand Kakuzu killed another partner."

Nagato gave a slight nod.

"Well, I know of one ninja who might be able to weather his rage. I'll let Zetsu tell you the details. However, there is still too much heat on us. The world needs to focus on something else for the moment."

"What will suffice? Another Shinobi world war?"

Madara shook his head. "I would rather Kiri comes into play when we use that card, but we don't have the tree-tails yet. No, for this we will look to forces seen during the days of the clan wars. Ask Sasori to activate that asset."

"Zetsu!" Nagato called out.

A strange humanoid plant creature rose from the floor. One of the tallest nin in Akatsuki, Zetsu was a man of two sides, literally. His body has two halves, the left which is completely white and his right which was entirely black. On his head sat a mop of green hair and his eyes which are yellow, almost glowed. On either side of his head, two venus-fly trap-like extensions rose from underneath his Akastuki robe. Those extensions were what made him one of Akatsuki's tallest.

"Yes, leader-sama." Nagato found it slightly disconcerting when only the half of the mouth on the white side moved.

"Inform Sasori that he is to contact me now."

The black half spoke this time, and Nagato had no way to tell if it's mouth was moving, not even if it had a mouth.

"_Didn't you just talk to him now?_" it said in a raspy voice.

Nagato glanced at Madara, who was absent-mindedly staring at the ceiling.

_Did he really live for a century with..."this" as his only companion?_

"Just do it Zetsu."

The plant-man disappeared back into the floor without another word.

After five minutes of contemplative silence from both men, the chamber lit up when Sasori's ethereal form appeared once more.

"Leader-sama?" Sasori prodded.

Nagato didn't need to look to know that Madara had already successfully blended with the shadows.

"Sasori, we need the Hidden Villages to focus on something other than Akatsuki for the time being. You know what to do. Your mission in the land of tea is hereby cancelled."

The meaning behind the statement was conveyed immediately. Sasori nodded. "It shall be done, Leader-sama." His figure flickered out.

Madara seemingly melted out of the shadows. "Be careful Nagato. You are powerful but your position in this world is more fragile than you believe." With those parting words, Nagato was alone in his chamber once more.

Calm, confident steps took him to the chamber's only opening, designed to look like some beast's large mouth roaring into the rain. He stepped onto the tongue and stared out over his village. The rain poured with a vengeance just like it always did. The drops that struck his face did not bother him in the slightest.

He gazed down at a puddle, to find his own reflection gazing back at him. His was a worn face, his fair skin becoming paler by the day. A bang of his chin-length red hair fell over the right side of his face covering one of his purple-ringed eyes and half of the Ame hitai-ate.

"Yahiko...what would you think of me if you saw me now?"

* * *

><p>Konoha's Kage stood right at his village gates, flanked by his advisors and clan heads, coal eyes staring out onto the horizon where the sky met the tops of trees.<p>

The sun shone at an unusual intensity making his robes more than a little stifling but he did not care for it. Another matter took precedence.

Today he would let a jinchuriki, from another village, who he himself had fought and knocked out on one occasion into the heart of his village.

That fact nagged him to no end and it was frustrating the hell out of him.

He was old and his lifetime had been filled with battles such that the smallest moment of piece was heaven to him. He should be eager to get this alliance underway, shouldn't he?

Yet the feeling did not go away. His mind flashed from one image to another; images of Kumo's two-tailed jinchuriki suddenly flipping out on them, destroying a quarter of his village with one of her tailed beast bombs.

A bitter smile found its way onto Sarutobi's old features. He now knew that however much he embraced peace, war was a part of him now. He would be forever on guard, ever watchful, ever vigilant.

Yet for Naruto's sake and his village's sake and peace's sake, he would strive to make this alliance happen and fulfil Minato's plan.

So he stood there with his welcoming party. All clan heads were present except for the Aburame clan head, Aburame Shibi and the Inuzuka clan head, Inuzuka Tsume. Being the youngest clan heads of Konoha's major clans they took on the most missions of all the clan heads.

It was not an issue really. Aburame's were downright unpleasant to be around if one was not used to them with their cold and aloof personalities while the Inuzuka were downright unpleasant to those who had attacked their pack before. Valuing loyalty more than anything else, the Inuzuka were a tough crowd to please.

(the Hyuga incident did not happen here so yes Neji still has a dad. The incident where they kidnapped Kushina still happened though because that was definitely not during the Fourth Raikage's reign)

His advisors, Homura and Koharu, stood to his right, their faces perfectly controlled masks of apathy. Typical, that they would see this as just another chance to make Konoha stronger.

Danzo was to his left, his expression as neutral as ever, but if he knew Danzo (and he pretty damn well did), he could only hope that his friend and rival would not try anything.

A breeze rushed across the path before them and as if heralding their arrival, specks appeared on the horizon.

When they were close enough for Sarutobi's eyes to pick out, he did a quick count. So, all his Anbu had survived then. That meant Akatsuki did not attack, a fact which put him at ease.

They either knew they were outmatched by this squad, or did not want to draw further attention to themselves. When it came down to matters like these, Sarutobi was a tad bit pessimistic so he would bet the latter.

He prayed to whatever higher power existed that Naruto's trip had gone just as smoothly.

In almost no time at all, Sarutobi stood face to face with the blonde-haired jinchuriki of Kumogakure. She gazed at him with undisguised contempt, definitely not happy to see him.

Sarutobi couldn't argue with her. Many people hated him after he gave them a good whack on the head with Enma's unbelievably hard staff form. Many more feared him because he could knock out a jinchuriki with brute force.

"Nii Yugito and Mabui of Kumo, welcome to Konohagakure no sato," Sarutobi greeted with a small bow.

Mabui bowed back, not at all disturbed by the fact that the Hokage already knew her name. Sarutobi had to admire her professionalism.

Yugito followed, though hers was a bit stiff.

Sarutobi got the impression he was not the only one disturbed by this while arrangement.

"Hokage-sama, it is an honour to be here. The alliance between Kumo and Konoha will be a great one indeed," Mabui responded smoothly.

"I trust your journey was not filled with too many hiccups?"

Mabui shook her head with a perfectly practised smile. "Not at all. You have fine ninja Hokage-sama," the Raikage's assistant praised.

Sarutobi did notice however that, Yugito was trying hard and failing, not to glare at something at the corner of her vision. It was easy enough to follow her gaze to find it land on the Anbu with the dog-mask who he recognized instantly as Kakashi.

Said Anbu had noticed her ire and was pushing a something deeper into his pocket. An Icha Icha no doubt, if Sarutobi knew Kakashi well (he pretty damn well knew Kakashi too). Kumo's jinchuriki cared little for perverts apparently.

Sarutobi's plan suddenly looked all the more entertaining.

"Thank you Mabui. You are too kind," Sarutobi said graciously, "Before you stand my advisors and our clan heads." Sarutobi went on to introduce Koharu, Homura, Danzo, Hiashi, Shikaku, Inoichi and Chouza.

"You are awfully quiet, Nii Yugito."

Sarutobi turned to owner of the voice, surprised that Danzo had actually deemed it necessary to open his mouth.

The heavily bandaged man appeared nonchalant, uncaring, as if he had not even said anything in the first place.

Yugito's stare was flat. "What would you have me say?" she replied.

At that, Mabui's smile became slightly strained while several of Sarutobi's people raised their eyebrows. Chouza might have been chuckling.

Sarutobi's mouth moved on instinct utilizing years of experience on the political field to save the situation.

"Very wise. To talk is cheap. To listen is priceless. You are indeed a valuable asset to your village, Yugito-san."

Yugito turned towards the Hokage curiously but nodded all the same.

"Shall we be off then?" Sarutobi turned and led the way into his village, with Yugito and Mabui behind him and the rest bringing up the rear.

Yugito knew that Kumo had a greater economic and military strength than Konoha at the moment, but she had to admit that even though they had demilitarised since the war, Konoha was damn well close.

Civilians swarmed the streets around them while Ninja dashed from rooftop to rooftop above them. Most stayed to watch the procession, others gave a quick look before going back to their own business.

Of those who did stay, Yugito's cat-like ears were more than capable of catching their mutterings.

"Damn, can you believe that? Kumo's jinchuriki is within our walls and she's not blowing shit up!"

"Is that her? She's so pretty! And so is her friend!"

"Who knew Kumo's babes were so hot. I need to get me some of that."

"Dude, I think your girlfriend heard you."

"You know I fought her in the last war. Gave her the ol' one-two!"

Other comments were not so...polite.

"It's said that she can control her beast. A might fine trade if I say so myself."

"Konoha actually came out on top in this exchange. We finally got rid f the demon brat. I hope he never sets foot in here again."

"Good riddance. We do not need trash like him in our home."

Yugito frowned. Is this how Konoha saw their jinchuriki? As a curse? No wonder her fellow blonde had been so meek.

She visibly snapped out of her musings when the Hokage spoke.

"So Yugito and Mabui, there is the question of your lodgings during your stay in Konoha."

Yugito gave her own opinion for the first time. "Not to be rude, Hokage-sama but I would prefer someplace...private?"

Sarutobi smiled as if he had expected nothing less. "I thought you would ask for such, so I took the liberty of preparing the Hatake clan compound."

The dog-masked Anbu stiffened before continuing his pace at a slightly more brisk pace.

"The last Hatake, Hatake Kakashi has so very nicely volunteered his...well other home. You will find it to be very accommodating."

The dog-masked Anbu's fingers began to twitch.

"Kakashi, would you please remove your mask?" The Hokage commanded more than asked without turning round.

Yugito blinked at the implications of that sentence before her head swivelled round sharply. Mabui was to her left leaving the space to her right unoccupied. Well it was occupied now because the dog-masked Anbu walked beside her, taking off his mask with a shaking hand.

Mismatched eyes stared into her own.

"Introduce yourself Kakashi. You are their guide after all."

Yugito would have been blind not to catch the way his eyes widened.

"Hatake Kakashi," he said with a nod, "at your service."

The procession arrived at the largest tower in the hidden leaf: the Hokage tower.

The clan heads and Anbu bowed before leaving while Kakashi and the advisors remained. "As your guide Kakashi will be responsible for you during these six months. He is also supposed to be the leader of a genin squad today but I'm sure he can juggle both duties at the same time. Am I right Kakashi?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," he said with a sigh.

The Hokage clapped his hands cheerfully. "Well then, now that that's been settled, kindly step into my office to discuss the terms of your stay."

* * *

><p>He was not ready.<p>

He had dreamed of this for years, fantasized about it, acted it out standing on the Hokage monument, proclaimed to almost everyone who was close to him how he could not wait for the day when this happened.

Yet, as hundreds of ninja roared their acknowledgement of him, Naruto came to the realization that...he was just not ready.

"**NARUTO!"**

"**NARUTO!"**

They thought him someone else, these Kumo Shinobi. They thought he was someone who had defeated the demon, bended its will and used its power for his own purposes.

They thought he was someone of unbelievable strength. With the greatest of the nine sealed within his own body, they thought he could move mountains.

Naruto almost laughed at the irony of it all. During his journey to this place, he'd been told of the other jinchuriki by Jiraiya. He'd been told of how the jinchuriki of the one-tailed beast struck fear into the heart of his village.

He was the complete opposite. Where that jinchuriki dished out fear like it was a hobby, Naruto was its slave.

With panic attacks that gripped him almost every time he heard a strange noise, Naruto had no idea how he would ever get past this.

Jiraiya, who stood beside the boy, noticed the way Naruto's gloved hand curled into a fist, shaking all the while. For everyone's sake, especially Naruto's he hoped the young Namikaze found a way past this.

His gaze returned to the village of Kumo.

It was humongous, though maybe that was because of the many mountains that dotted the landscape.

Whoever thought that this would be a good place to build a hidden village was either amazingly brilliant or batshit crazy enough to try.

Built right in a mountain range, Kumogakure was literally hidden in the clouds. Looking over the railing, he watched as one floated lazily right past them.

The village infrastructure was built right into the mountains with most of them hollowed out. Use of the streets below them was usually limited to civilians as most ninja preferred to use the rooftops...or mountaintops to get to their destination.

The Raikage's tower, which they stood on now, was built into the largest mountain, conveniently located at the village's centre. It was a large blue structure with Kami knows how many rooms. Jiraiya got tired even just thinking of the flights of stairs he had been forced to climb.

This was why Jiraiya had never liked infiltrating this village. Kumo nin had this crazy love of heights.

But all in all, it made for a fantastic view. He could not deny that. It would be even better when the Kumo Shinobi all went back to their business. They practically blanketed the roofs they stood on. Jiraiya couldn't remember a time when Konoha had this big a force of ninja within the village.

_Just another reason why this treaty is a good idea._

"Uzumaki Naruto!" The Raikage called, finally turning to face him.

With as much courage as he could muster, Naruto faced the Raikage, having to tilt his head all the way back just to look into the man's eyes. Tall, dark and just generally gigantic, the Raikage was a man designed to make you feel tiny. With a robe that barely hid the muscles and a golden belt with the face of a roaring boar, he cut an intimidating figure. It did not help that the man forever had his face set in a scowl.

His brother behind him was not much different, in terms of muscular physique, except he wore more of the Kumo jounin attire. Naruto did not have an eye for detail but he would have been blind not to notice the seven swords sheathed on the man's back. Naruto had no idea what a man could do with seven swords, but childish curiosity had dictated he ask and so he did. The reply he got was a little strange.

"Already with tha' questions I see, but Mr. Nine, just leave them be. Not to be rude dude, but you'll see them soon and then they might not be so cool."

Naruto was confused at first. Rhyming? Really? And why wouldn't he find them cool?

Then the Raikage had on the way up here told him to stop scaring the smaller jinchuriki. Naruto got the impression he was going to be given first-hand knowledge on how the blades worked.

Naruto was scared of his new sensei already.

"This hitai-ate is yours!"

Naruto's eyes travelled to the man's outstretched hand. In it was what the Raikage had said; a shiny brand new, white-clothed hitai-ate with the symbol for Kumo, the two clouds, proudly staring back at him.

Naruto did what was wanted of him. With a bit of reluctance he took off his own leaf hitai-ate. The wind brushed against his forehead and his hair tickled his skin. Naruto frowned, already missing the warmth.

His hand shook slightly as he picked up the Kumo hitai-ate and the beginnings of another cheer spread slowly throughout the crowd.

When he tied the knot at the back of his head, the effect was similar to the explosion of a high-grade explosive tag. The yells, shouts and cheers were deafening and he had to fight from flinching.

"You see this! The Kyuubi's jinchuriki fights for Kumo now!" Naruto marvelled at the Raikage's ability to make himself heard.

Naruto's new sensei, the jinchuriki to the eight-tailed ox-octopus, Killer Bee, approached Naruto and let his fist hover before Naruto's face.

The blonde just stared at it cluelessly, embarrassed that he had no idea what he was meant to do. Fortunately Bee was not one to be left hanging.

"Don't take too long. Bump fists with me, to form our unbreakable bond."

Understanding shone in Naruto's eyes and slowly he curled his fingers into a fist and reached out.

_Unbreakable bond?_

The blonde looked up to find the man smiling at him, a cheeky little expression that promised Naruto he would be in for a ride.

_Can I trust this man?_

The roars of the crowd which Naruto had tuned out for a second reached his ears again.

_Not like I have a choice, do I?_

Their fists met.

Naruto remembered little after that. If possible, the Kumo ninja were even more hyped up at the apparent acceptance and cheered even louder. Naruto remembered his god-father's reassuring smile, Killer Bee's grin and the Raikage's pleased nod.

A few more words and suddenly they were leaping from rooftop to rooftop, the Raikage, Killer Bee, Jiraiya and him, carving a path through the Kumo nin. So many faces, young and old, ninja and kunoichi, all of whom had anything but ill intent towards him.

Naruto just followed along blindly, tossing out fake smiles and nods like they were going out of style.

He just wished. He just hoped he could live up to all their expectations.

* * *

><p>"I suppose it doesn't get any better than this."<p>

"No, it really doesn't," Kakashi replied dryly.

The trio; Kakashi, Mabui and Yugito stood outside the Hatake clan compound, which stood on the outskirts of Konoha. Once belonging to famed but small Hatake clan, the compound had slowly been on the path to being claimed by Mother Nature, at least, until Sarutobi had let the genin loose upon it through D-rank missions.

During Konoha's founding, when clans came to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, to be part of the village, the Hatake clan's venture into this new age had not been as seamless as say the Aburame or the Inuzuka. A large part of the clan had wanted to settle down and abandon the life of a Shinobi. The leader, Hatake Kakashi's grandfather, thought otherwise. They were one of the top tier clans in the elemental nations, right under the Senju and Uchiha. He was not prepared to throw away all the blood, sweat, tears and hard work.

The others apparently were.

The Hatake clan therefore entered Konoha as a clan with only two families, that of the clan head and his brother, not recognized as a true clan but respected like one if only for the feats the head had accomplished. It was enough to get them their own tiny compound.

The brother's family died out in the first Shinobi World War, due to unfortunate circumstances, leaving only Sakumo.

Their home had been built on the outskirts, almost directly in the forests surrounding Konoha. A small natural clearing had been selected for the main houses since the head had been loath to cut them down just for room. It was still a big house. The rest; the dojo, library and stores had been built up above in the trees, interconnected by a series of wooden bridges.

Overall, it was a nice place, once the genin cleaned it up.

Kakashi silently glared at the treehouses. He hadn't been here for a while. After his father had done the unthinkable, abandoning him just like that, Kakashi had moved out. He had come back, after Obito, after he learnt to forgive and accept his father's deeds, but it still hurt so his visits were brief with as much time as he could cram in between.

He had been pushing on a year before today.

And the old man had the audacity to clean it up, then drop everything on him just today?! '_You wait old man, it's only a matter of time before the rumours about our 'beloved Hokage' being an avid closet pervert fan of Icha Icha begin to spread, only a matter of time_.'

Mabui and Yugito inched slowly away from the cycloptic jounin/Anbu when he let loose an evil laugh that came across more as a girlish giggle.

It took a few seconds but Kakashi finally noticed the freaked out looks the women gave him. He sighed. The damage had already been done. He could kiss goodbye any respect they had thought of giving him.

"Please," he said in the most gentlemanly way possible while ushering them forward with his hand.

They crossed the distance to the door faster than Kakashi would have liked. The door of the traditionally styled home slid to the side easily and Kakashi had to blink away images of his father moving about the house.

They took off their ninja boots and heels (in Mabui's case) and Kakashi's tour officially began.

"So that's the living room, kitchen, dining room, study, mini-library, the main library is in one of the treehouses and bedrooms are in the back, if you'll follow me."

Yugito rolled her eyes. Wasn't there a rule against being so casual?

Kakashi drawled on as he led them around the house, "So, there will be cook to make your food but he'll report in tomorrow, I guess. Tonight, you'll eat out. Wherever you wanna go, the village is paying, I'm sure. There's this nice ramen place I could show you girls."

"Ramen? Really?" Mabui giggled. "Aren't you supposed to, I don't know...impress us?" she asked jokingly.

Kakashi gasped, or gave a poor impersonation of a one, "Lady Mabui, I assure you, Konoha's ramen, Ichiraku ramen, is a fine delicacy that was bestowed upon us by the gods. You simply cannot enjoy all Konoha has to offer without even tasting the broth."

Mabui laughed, "I think I'll pass."

"We could go to the Akimichi owned restaurants, though only the bravest women or those completely comfortable with their weight dare venture there." Kakashi stopped abruptly and turned round to face them. He studied Mabui before declaring, "You fit the bill." And she beamed at him. He studied Yugito and he took his precious time here.

Yugito raised her eyebrow.

"You know, I think it would be better if we just go to the civilian-owned restaurants."

An unholy fire from the depths of hell lit up in the jinchuriki's eyes.

Mabui tried, she tried so hard but she couldn't stop the snort that escaped her.

"You think I'm not comfortable with my own weight!"

"I said nothing of the sort." Kakashi replied calmly.

"You implied it!"

"I implied nothing of the sort."

"You! I'm going to-"

"Hatake Akashi...is this your grandfather?" Mabui asked quickly, changing the subject so that Yugito wouldn't level half the village trying to kill one man.

They had stopped in the hallway just before the bedrooms, before his grandfather's painting. It depicted the man, grim faced as he always was, seated on a chair with his katana across his lap, and his silver hair falling freely around his face. He was the only Hatake who apparently liked his facial hair to exist.

Kakashi cursed mentally. That whole conversation had been so that they would pass his father's bedroom without incident. No way was he going to open that door.

Now her question, although it might have saved him from an untimely death, it might lead something he didn't want to face alive.

"Yes, he is."

"He looks just like you."

He couldn't help but give a small smile at the joke. They were already trying to get him to remove his mask. How cute. "Strong genes," was his reply.

"What about your father's portrait?" Yugito finally spoke.

The copy nin sighed imperceptibly, the smile vanished, in its place the most neutral of expressions.

"The story is that he failed a mission to save his comrades. Took his own life 'cause he couldn't bear the shame. I guess that's why you never bothered to put it up?"

Kakashi kept his silence, hoping she would get the message and back-off. Mental pleas weren't working however.

"I respect the choice to rescue his comrades."

Kakashi was stunned speechless. Could this be one of those rare moments when he wouldn't have to argue or punch someone on the topic of his father?

"But the suicide was an act of a coward."

The dam broke. Kakashi knew it was too good to be true. But these were foreign dignitaries, or something close to that, so for Konoha he would shut his mouth and weather the storm.

"I mean, so he was dishonoured. Was his will and character so weak that he ran away to a knife?"

All right, this girl was pushing it. Kakashi opened his mouth...

Only for Mabui to come to the rescue again.

"We would both so very much like to know where our rooms are. Could we get something in the trees? Us Kumo-nin like to be in high places. We _think better_ up there." She said with forced emphasis on the 'think better' part. Yugito glared at her with unrepentant eyes as she rubbed her sore side where Mabui's elbow had done its best to dig a hole.

Kakashi's shoulders dipped imperceptibly, the only sign he had been tensed. "Sure," he said cheerfully with his trademark smile. There are bedrooms there I know you'll like."

Fifteen minutes later and Yugito stood before the front door after seeing Kakashi out. He had showed them their rooms and then proceeded to show them the rest of the tree-houses.

Mabui had obviously become enamoured with the library, the bookworm that she was. Yugito wondered if she'd find anything interesting to read. While they had formed a treaty, Konoha would doubtless still keep some secrets to itself just like Kumo would.

She herself had fallen in love with the armoury. Darts, senbon, shuriken, kunai, swords, naginatas, staffs, bows and all the great variations of those weapons. Sure some weapons were in terrible condition after being neglected for so long but she could already tell where she'd be spending most of her time. While she herself didn't fight with any specific weapon, Kumo nin were notorious for their fascination with any conventional weapon. You could find the master of almost any weapon in Kumo. She wondered how that would influence the Kyuubi jinchuriki.

Kakashi had told them he was supposed to be testing a team of children to see if they were ready to become genin. Mabui had rejected the offer to tag along citing that she needed a hot shower and sleep in a real bed and a real bathroom, not necessarily in that order.

Yugito accepted, curious to the workings of Konoha. Kakashi had told her he would go home to change into jounin attire then he would pop back in to pick her up.

In the meantime, Yugito wandered the house to learn more of its layout. A possible escape point, a distraction point or a weakness where someone might easily slip in. She wondered how many Anbu were watching the house right now. Was there a Hyuga among them?

She came across a picture in a frame in the living room. Dust covered the picture like a thin blanket. Perhaps someone had forgotten to clean it?

She used the material if her glove to brush aside the dirt easily, uncaring of the ugly brown stain on purple. Instead she focused on the image of father and son both of whom were smiling widely. She assumed Kakashi was smiling because even as the toddler he was in the picture he wore a mask.

Chubby cheeks that strained against the mask were her only clue.

Yugito wondered if she should apologize for her harsh words.

It was a bad habit developed back in Kumo, when she wanted to prove to everyone how good a jinchuriki she was despite being a girl.

It seemed like the right thing to do, to apologize. That was until she remembered how he called her fat.

There are just some lines you do not cross, nevermind that it was probably impossible for her to get fat since the Nibi's chakra practically burnt away her calories.

Even better, he was going to test his brats. That meant a training field which meant a spar was possible.

This would give her a legal reason to kick his ass.

Yugito let loose her own evil giggle.

Some lines, you just do not cross.

* * *

><p>Unraikyo valley: the valley of Clouds and Lightning. Also Kumogakure's training ground no.2, Killer Bee's personal training ground.<p>

Naruto was impressed with the place. Located somewhere within Hidden Cloud's many mountain ranges, it was a water-filled valley with great mounds of rock jutting out of the water like icebergs.

The mountain he stood on now had been cut in half (how, Naruto had no idea) for a flat surface for the nin to stand on. A small dojo stood on the end opposite to Naruto, with Killer Bee between him and it.

"No time like the present. We start right now to get an idea of what you're missing."

Naruto turned helplessly to Jiraiya, who stood off to the side with A, pleading for some kind of assistance. He had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Jiraiya, the sadist that he was, only gave him a thumbs-up.

When the large hand fell on his head, Naruto flinched. B had somehow covered the distance between him and Naruto without the boy's knowledge. Was he that fast, or was Naruto just that slow?

When Naruto realized there was no danger he consoled himself saying his flinch was more of a reflex to take out a kunai and stab, not a 'jump into the air like a coward' flinch.

Fear was all in the mind.

"**So will you help?"**

Naruto blinked. Was he hearing voices? In his head?

"**You must be joking. You want me to willingly aid my 'prison' in taming my power?" **This voice was ancient and deep, deeper than Naruto had ever heard. It boasted confidence with the power to back it up, but Naruto would have been deaf not to detect the bitterness every word had been dipped in.

"**It's better than just sitting here day in and day out. You know that if you somehow became free of him, someone else would just hunt you down and time has shown that even you are not immune to being captured and sealed." **This voice, while not as deep, still felt as if it had experienced all time had to offer. Its calmness sharply contrasted the other, with acceptance and wisdom at its core.

"**Leave," **it growled, apparently already tired with the conversation.

"**I'm right, you know I am. It's probably why I can't even sense your yin half right?"**

"**Leave!" **the other voice lashed out and a terrible pressure spread through Naruto's mind.

He gasped, and for a second he swore he saw his breath escape him as a blood-red mist.

B took his hand off Naruto's head, shaking his own all the while.

"Aiit, my training ain't gonna work for you, so we're gonna have to switch to option number two," Killer Bee explained.

"What is option number two?" Naruto dared to ask.

B's grin was not encouraging, not encouraging at all.

"If ya can't tame the beast, you tame its chakra. As you are now, that chakra has too much hate for you to handle, so we'll raise you to a level you can handle."

Naruto digested all this as fast as he could. "Ok, I think I get it. So how are we doing this?"

His answer was a backhand that made pain flare across his cheek like a forest fire in the summer. Naruto flew across the air, rolled across the ground and had to reach out and grab onto the edge jsut before he fell off the training ground, leaving him dangling dangerously.

The pain in his arm flared. His injury from the shuriken had healed, such that his skin was unblemished but the meat was still a little sore.

Once the stars cleared from his eyes, he dragged himself back up.

"I'm gonna kick your ass and you'll develop mentally and physically because of it. That's jinchuriki training 101 for dimwits." Killer Bee gleefully announced with a pose where his hand was thrust in the air, the index and little fingers extended, rockstar-style.

* * *

><p><strong>So as you've noticed, the story's AU with a few changes. Hizashi lives, Nagato is a one-man rinnegan army (he's more badass this way) and I've added a Hatake clan compound complete with backstory.<strong>

**The story will focus on both Jinchuriki's times in their respective village. The coming arc is from one of the old Naruto games, 'Chronicles 2' puppet guys with my own personal tweaks to it. **

**Point out any mistakes you find. Such reviews are welcome. God knows I just wanted to get something out so it's kind of a rush job on a filler chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

It was with a worried expression that Naruto sought help from the two adults standing off to the side. He could have as well been staring at a brick wall.

Jiraiya and the Fourth Raikage both looked like they had been expecting this all along, which might have been true. That wasn't the point however. Any decent human being should have been a little concerned when watching a twelve year old about to get beaten into the ground by a walking mountain of muscles.

Killer Bee approached him slowly, rapping and skipping along the way, as if he was going to greet an old friend.

"But don't worry ma' man! Its a solid plan! By the time we done, you'll turn those fuckers in cloaks to dust! Wheeee!"

A long time ago, Naruto would have charged head first into the fray no matter how big, strong or skilled the opponent.

Now, he knew he was not some "born to be badass" ninja, and he had a vastly better idea of his limitations. So he considered his next move a stroke of genius.

"Screw this." Naruto turned and hopped off the cliff.

He imagined that their faces would be a bit comical and stupefied and he thought it suited them. There was no way he was going to fight that muscle freak head on.

Too bad he wasn't given much of a choice.

A hand grabbed at the back of his shirt collar and threw him upwards. another hand grabbed his foot abruptly stopping his upward motion. He was pulled down finally seeing and confirming that yes, B was just about to pound him into the ground.

And pound him he did. The hand that had grabbed him by his collar was now on his chest, forcing him downwards to the ground. The air was literally pushed out of him, preventing him from screaming in pain as his back smashed into the unyeilding rock they stood on.

"Bitch please, I barely hit you."

Tears of pain leaked from Naruto's eyes, but he was quick to retaliate. He drew his foot back and tried slamming his sole into B's face.

Killer Bee grabbed the offending foot easily, but backed off a little allowing Naruto to roll back to his feet.

He took shuddering breaths of air, trying to reinflate his chest.

Jiraiya and the fourth Raikage continued to observe off to the side.

Naruto stepped back slowly, eyes fixed on B, looking for an avenue of escape. When he formed his thirty shadow clones, he was a bit surprised to see a total lack of surprise on B's face. When it clicked that yes, B was a jinchuriki too, so he did also have massive reserves of chakra at his disposal, his new mentor had already destroyed all his clones.

Naruto raised his arms in front of his face to block the oncoming fist and as a result got the wind knocked out of him again when it landed on his torso.

"You kno' what you're problem is? You scared to bits!" Naruto dimly registered his words as he heaved and gasped on the ground.

"When you see my fist comin' you freeze. Bitch please, that ain' gon' help you save your skin." B continued, "Lemme tell you what I see when a fist is coming for me. It's so easy for it to make a hit, just as it's so easy for me to make it miss."

Naruto sat back on his ankles, glaring at the rapper. "What the hell are you saying?"

"He means you should look at it from a different perspective."

Naruto turned his head to face the new arrivals and then his jaw hung open for a second.

Only for a second, before he realized she had a sword.

If Sakura could inflict severe pain without a sword, he didn't want to know what a girl with a sword was capable of when she caught a pervert.

Jiraiya's mouth hung open anyway.

_Amazing, she's probably only what...thirteen? Still too young, but damn!_

A blonde girl had arrived on their training ground, along with a red haired dark skinned young girl with what looked like a perpetual scowl and a white haired dark skinned boy with a lollipop stick poking out from between his lips.

It was the blonde who had spoken. "Keep a cool head. Instead of focusing on the fist, realize how big the space around his fist is. His fist only occupies so much space and there are a million ways to dodge, so why should it hurt you?"

The blonde jinchuriki's face scrunched up in thought. "I think I get it, ummm...?"

"Call me Samui."

Naruto nodded, and looked to her companions, his question as plain as day.

"Omoi," the boy answered.

"Name's Karui," the red-head said.

"Samui-chan, ain't no need to be spilling secrets because I got this."

"Hai, sensei."

Naruto turned his focus back on B. "So it can go both ways? I could always just dodge it. It's not some almighty rule that I must get hit? That's what you're trying to say?"

The Raikage actually chuckled on hearing that, a deep rumble that made Naruto feel like the vibrations had somehow reached him.

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," A said grinning.

The blonde grinned himself. "Good, I was never one for rules."

Xxx

Naruto found himself lightly drifting in and out of consciousness as he was carried by his newly appointed sensei piggy-back style.

"So this is the jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox. You're not really that impressive, are you?" Karui said, her tone practically oozing disappointment.

Naruto wanted to tell her he would kick ass in the next training session, but he was just a bag of bruises at the moment so he let it pass.

Besides, even he was not looking forward to the next session.

Not a 'rule' that you get hit?

What a load of crap. If a fist with the power of a rampaging ox behind it crosses the distance to your face faster than you could blink, dodging seems like a very high thing to hope for.

"Sensei," Omoi spoke up, "you never hit us that hard during our training. Are you sure you're not just wailing on Naruto-san here because he can heal as fast as you?"

Naruto's black and swollen eye widened as much as it could, which was not saying much, at this newly revealed treachery.

He especially did not like Killer Bee's nervous chuckles.

The five ninja were walking through Kumo's streets, where it felt like the slightest bit of flat ground was a crime. The streets sloped and slanted. For most buildings the ground beneath them had been levelled out, so each structure stood on its own stage.

Shinobi swarmed the streets, more so than in Konoha, Naruto noticed. He had been warned about this by Kakashi-san and his fellow Anbu on the journey to the exchange point. In terms of numbers, Kumo had the most firepower. In Konoha, becoming a ninja was a choice.

In Kumo, any family not from a major Shinobi clan with the ability to have children had to offer one up to the military program, or else pay a steep price.

Naruto had to wonder just how many then had become ninja against their own will. It was not a question he could answer immediately, seeing as discontent was not exactly written on the faces of the populace they passed.

The bustling crowd parted like a school of fish before the self-dubbed, 'Lord Hachibi' and his students. As a result, Naruto had to endure all their curious, some excited, some visibly disappointed looks.

In Naruto's state of mind and body he did not mind in the least.

He just wanted that comfy, nice, soft bed they had promised him._ That bed, where I'll die peacefully and maybe this pain in my head will go._

One Shinobi did manage to catch his eye however. He supposed that it was because of her hair. A bright silver that seemed to blend perfectly with the moonlight and scarlet eyes that shone like polished rubies.

The blonde's vision began to darken again and somehow he knew this time he would be out for a long while. He did not want to sleep. Sleep meant dreams and dreams meant nightmares. _No...They always catch me...when I sleep._

The image of those scarlet eyes lingered in his mind and inevitably they bled into true red, the tomoe spinning into being around the pupil.

A rough calloused hand wrapped around his throat. The blue tinge only made it look inhumane and demonic.

He scratched at it, kicked and punched but the pressure only increased as if his neck was a nut to be cracked.

He fought and fought, it was only human instinct, but when his spine snapped and his airway bent, all will fled from his body. His legs and arms fell still and the lack of air caught up with him. The last thing he felt was his heart beat that one last time.

Then he was awake, the sheets that had covered him a tangled mess around his legs, the sound of gasps of air being sucked in at an amazing rate echoing off the walls.

It was a while before Naruto's wits returned to him.

He then noticed he was in a bed, a comfy king-size bed with sheets and blankets that had elaborately drawn patterns of the colours orange and black. He then noted that he was in a room, a bedroom that felt larger than his tiny apartment back in Konoha.

He got out of bed to explore this new space B had seen fit to dump him in. Anything to distract him from his dreams.

The blonde was still in the same clothes he had worn when he first stepped into Kumogakure, but someone had seen fit to take off the Anbu torso armour, the arm-guards and his boots. That and all his ninja equipment pouches. Bee did not seem the type so he thought perhaps Samui had done it. Personally he was just glad she did not make him wear pj's. Waking up and finding he had been changed right down to the underwear had made him weary of the Third Hokage's tastes for a week.

The first door he opened was apparently the closet, which Naruto had mistakenly thought was the way out of his bedroom. Designed like a very short hallway, it was stacked with various gear and clothes and sharp pointy weapons stacked on the wall. Naruto 'oohed' and 'aahed' as pubescent male ninja were want to do when faced with badass gear. The clothes were his size and the gear such as the standard Kumo shin guards were practically made for him. Naruto thought nothing of Kumo's blatant attempt to suck up to him as he swung a katana around like some badass ninja hero.

The other door led to the bathroom and Naruto chuckled in embarrassment as he realized this was not the way out of the bedroom. The bathroom was a sparkling white, already filled with towels, soaps and shampoos. He stepped up to the shower, which loomed above him looking like some evil senbon-launching machine. Naruto immediately made the decision that he was going to take a shower and it would be a damn long one.

To his pleasant and mind-blowing surprise the hot water did not die on him. Summed up, it was the best shower Naruto had taken in recent memory.

He stalked the rest of his new home in naught but a towel, gasping at the size of the television in the living room, moaning in comfort at the way he sunk into his orange and black couch and cursing at the fact that the well stocked kitchen had no absolutely no packets of ramen. Finally after putting on a shirt and a pair of loose pants he sat down at the balcony, his legs protruding through the bars of the railing and hanging over the edge.

They had given him a penthouse. Naruto's only complaint was that he had no ramen. For now though, he had nothing to do. Even with a T.V so big, it was apparently still possible that there was nothing good on.

A ninja's mentality, it was often said.

The night still dragged on. Naruto still found it difficult to sleep through the night. The sky was filled with clouds that the night made appear dark and ominous. Kumo's night lights did well to illuminate the world around him so that he was not blanketed in total darkness.

It was cold and Naruto's skin erupted with goosebumps but he did not mind. All that mattered was that he had found a small measure of peace here on 'his' (he was yet to get over the fact that this was his house) balcony in a village he barely knew.

_Dad, are you watching me? Am I making you proud?_

Memories from his time at the academy surfaced. Memories of seeing fellow former classmates like Shikamaru or Chouji being praised by their respective fathers. They had made their fathers proud, but their achievements seemed like an anthill compared to the tasks his own father had apparently set before him.

It seemed obvious that Sasuke was a favourite for rookie of the year, yet he had neither a parent nor a sibling waiting to pick him up at the end of the day. No one to go home to either.

Itachi too, Naruto had been told his story on the trip to Kumo. While murdering your whole family was a terrible way to prove your strength, as Naruto saw it, the fact that stood out was that he had not needed his family to be strong.

Naruto's logic then put it this way; being the son of the fourth did not make him an automatic badass.

Even with the support of two whole villages, the only one who he could rely on to become strong was his own self. If the village suddenly decided to cast him out and he became a nuke-nin, unwelcome even in Konoha, he would find a way to become strong.

His survival depended on it.

That was Naruto's silent declaration to the night.

The moment was ruined though, when a mop of white hair obscured his vision.

"What's this brat? Every night you're always out sulking. If you're not careful that face will stick."

Jiraiya of the Sannin hung upside down from the edge of his roof, a cheeky smile dancing across his face. In a display of grace that belied his size, he did a perfect back flip to land on the top of the railing. His large figure dwarfed the blonde such that Naruto was blanketed in shadow.

Naruto did not like the way Jiraiya's eyes bore down on him so he looked away. "Shut up ero-sennin, I don't brood," Naruto sulked.

"Jeez, you show people you're passion and suddenly everyone's calling you their own things. It's a good thing I won't be around to listen to your disrespectful arse." Naruto was reminded of when the legendary ninja gave him the first, and would perhaps always be the most, perverted piece of literature. The title 'ero-sennin' was nothing but appropriate. In fact, he still had that book in a sealing scroll somewhere. He'd rather nose-bleed until he died from blood loss than be left to his thoughts.

The blonde's eyes then widened in alarm, "You're leaving already?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Yup! I'm just from the most boring meeting trying to set you up with this village. You better be grateful brat. I do not like village elders, whatever village they're from. How I'd like to just shove 'Bunta's sword up their asses." The way Jiraiya's eyes gleamed, even in the night, unnerved Naruto. Still, did the old man know what he was saying?

"We just got here and you're already leaving me alone?" Naruto blurted out.

Naruto did not expect the answer he got.

"Ah, you'll be alright." Jiraiya said with a wave of his hand, obviously dismissing Naruto's concerns as unimportant.

"What?!"

"C'mon, I don't expect to be hearing this from you, considering who your father is, much less if we include your mother."

Naruto felt like smacking the man, but his arms were still painfully sore.

"A lot of good it's done me right? Being his son and all!" Naruto shot back.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. Naruto instantly realized he had said the wrong thing, to the wrong person. He backed down and once again turned away from the toad sage's burning gaze.

He focused again on Kumo's nightlife, following the various ninja who still had some duties jump about the buildings like fleas until a tired sigh brought his attention back to Jiraiya.

It was the one moment when Naruto could truly say the sannin looked his age, when past experiences and mistakes weighed down on him as if his very shoulders held up the sky.

"Look kid, I know you have a tonne of questions and you ain't getting a lot of answers. I'm not gonna spell it out for you. It's what your choices are that will lay down the path before you and along the way, you may or may not get your answers."

Naruto was confused.

"What?"

The answer to that question was a flick to his forehead by Jiraiya's massive fingers. "Patience brat. If you can't find the answers, let the answers find you. Your father understood that."

Naruto was about to complain about the pain that would definitely lead to a pounding headache when the hand that harmed his shifted to his mop of blonde hair. Naruto was surprised, pleasantly surprised, that the legendary ninja had decided to rub his head affectionately.

"So kid, since I'm going and you probably won't see me for a while, we could spend some quality godfather time at the baths in this village. Come on, it'll be cool!"

The blonde thought about it for a moment, then nodded. A relaxing hour in some hot steaming water would definitely come in handy if he had to face Bee in training.

**...xXx..**.

"Oi, Ero-sennin. This is not what people do when they say they are going to the Baths."

"Hogging my peep hole is a poor way to complain, brat."

The words registered in Naruto's mind and he recoiled as if a snake had just struck out at him. With his heart racing and his cheeks flushed a deep red, Naruto could practically feel the shame pouring out of him. Still, his traitorous feet took a step forward back to the tiny hole, only for the space to be occupied by Jiraiya.

The light of dawn had arrived too early in Naruto's opinion, further dampening his spirits what with the lack of sleep. It was a Saturday however, and his appointment with Bee was not due until the late afternoon.

That morning he had eaten a crappy breakfast filled with vegetables and absolutely no trace of ramen, listened to Jiraiya tell heroic tales of his life (obviously exaggerated) with enthusiasm comparable to his own when faced with a bowl of ramen and picked out his new outfit.

The jinchuriki of the nine tailed demon fox had switched out the shirt under the armoured grey vest for a turtle-neck short sleeved sweater.

Someone in Kumo had thought of him as eccentric as Killer Bee. On his arms he wore fingerless black gloves that almost touched his elbow. On the fabric of those gloves were wickedly curved white plates that acted as arm guards.

Naruto had taken them only because to have a chance of blocking Killer Bee's blows, he needed some protection. Also, Itachi and Kisame might have scared the part of him that really loved orange into extinction but he was still an adolescent boy, and such boys loved badass things.

He had looked into that mirror and decided that the arm guards fit into the category.

Naruto had then proceeded to accompany Jiraiya to the springs and had been flabbergasted when the Sannin had introduced him to the pleasures of the female flesh.

Those lumps of flesh... were those what people called boobs? And as lumps of flesh why did they look so appealing?

"Brat, go and act as a lookout. Warn me if someone's coming. We'll take turns." Jiraiya advised.

Naruto only left because those images were messing with his head and he did not want to become as bad a pervert as Jiraiya.

"Hoho! Epic research material quality has been achieved! You there, why don't you show me a little more skin?"

_Ugh...that's just a new level of weird._

Jiraiya's mad chuckles died away as Naruto walked round the circular structured establishment. However once in view of people walking along the street, a group of girls caught sight of him and called out in shrill voices.

"Look! It's jinchuriki-sama! Isn't he cute?!"

"It's the whiskers! They make him look so exotic!"

"Oh Kami, he's so dreamy!"

"Jinchuriki-sama, may I have your autograph!"

A while ago, Naruto had had dreams of women coming onto him like this. The women in his dreams though, had never had that thirst, that hunger that shone in the eyes of these women like a beacon. The blonde backed away slowly, more than a little freaked out by the bunch of rabid girls beginning to approach him.

His retreat was a brisk walk back to Jiraiya, hoping the girls would be intimidated by the man's size and have the decency to back off.

The young often make foolish mistakes.

"Oi, brat I told you you'll have your turn. You cannot rush a super pervert."

"I have bigger problems now." Naruto replied.

Jiraiya snorted, "Like wha-" and was cut off by a glass shattering scream. "EEEEEKKK! PERVERT!"

A corresponding and collective yell of "WHAAATTT?!" rose up from inside the baths and suddenly the skies darkened and thunder rumbled ominously.

The toad sage glanced at the girls who followed Naruto and then at the blonde himself before gasping.

"You fool,"

Grabbing Naruto by the collar, the perverted author took off in a blur of motion. Unfortunately, women who had not even been in the Baths and just happened to be nearby, responded to the call to beat up a pervert with a wild passion. These women also happened to be ninjas and with the righteous fury of a woman scorned they were on Jiraiya's heels in a matter of seconds.

His self preservation senses tingling, Jiraiya pushed his feet to carry him faster, enough that he was able to turn a corner and throw Naruto in a dumpster like a discarded doll before the women saw him.

The blonde wanted to scream at the pervert, but the stampede of women that thundered past him two seconds later instilled common sense in him and he wisely shut up, trying to ignore the pain in his neck that stemmed from his awkward position in the bin. His head was at a ninety degree angle to the rest of his body in this cramped space of the dumpster. Also, the smell was enough to make him gag.

He had just taken such a nice shower!

Jiraiya had a lot to answer for, assuming he survived.

Naruto jumped out of the dumpster and dusted himself off. He needed to get to Bee-sensei, yet he had no idea where he was. The blonde sighed and mentally added this to the lost of stuff to blame ero-sennin for.

"Come on Sen, I want a piece of that pervert too!" a voice yelled.

A yellow blur turned the corner and slammed into Naruto, knocking the wind out of him and knocking him onto his back. Naruto cursed from his position on the floor and was about to yell at his offender but she beat him to it.

"Watch where you're going jackass!"

Naruto's glare could have melted steel. "I think it's pretty obvious dumbass, that you ran into me!" He sat up only to find that she was already standing over him.

She was already taller than him, he concluded even without him standing up. Her blonde hair seemed to glow in the sunlight, giving Naruto his first glimpse of hair that was a brighter shade than his own and wilder, though maybe it was because it was longer, going all the way to her lower back.

She peered down at him behind oval glasses and behind a developing bust, which Naruto's eyes were finding it troublesome to stray away from. Her outfit was simple, being a purple shirt and a short black skirt with black stockings going up to her thigh and Shinobi sandals.

She reached down and grabbed his collar, lifting him up with surprising strength. "They say the pervert was with the jinchuriki of the nine-tails. Now I'm not sure, but you kinda look like him."

The lie that left his lips was so smooth Naruto almost believed it himself.

"I ain't got no idea of what you're talking about. The guy you're chasing ran that way, but he was alone."

Her light purple eyes locked onto his own. "Look me in the eye and tell me you did not just see naked bodies of women today."

Naruto was about to, but then the pictures of what he had just seen flooded his mind and he shut his eyes. There was a stiffening in his pants that he knew he must fight. Whether he had the strength to however was the true question.

He need not have worried about that as his face, which was as red and burned like the flames of hell sold him out.

There was a resounding smack that echoed off the walls of the alley they were in and Naruto was back on the floor, with a handprint that actually stood out against the blush on his face.

"Hmph, perverts!" and she stormed off, full of righteous female fury.

Naruto lay there for a few minutes wondering why the gods hated him when another strange voice interrupted him.

"Sorry about that, but you are guilty of peeking," a soft female voice said.

Naruto was about to groan about possibly meeting another of Kumo's crazy females when she stepped into his field of view. It was her, the girl from last night that he had seen right before passing out completely on Bee-sensei's back.

Silver hair and scarlet eyes. She looked like she had walked right out of his dreams. Naruto accepted the offered hand and she pulled him up. He touched his face and winced at the sting.

"You are a jinchuriki right? So that will heal right away, won't it?" she inquired.

"Being a jinchuriki doesn't make it any less painful though," he replied. They stood there awkwardly, she studying him like he was some work of art and he just...standing there like a statue.

"Umm...you're name is?"

"I am Sen Yarizui, Kyuubi-sama."

"Uzumaki Naruto, just call me Naruto. Kyuubi-sama makes me a little uncomfortable." In Konoha, just saying Kyuubi out in the open could instill the fear of god in people, either for the beast or the Anbu that would snatch them away for talking about the issue openly.

Kumo ninja held no such reservations. "I find Kyuubi-sama most appropriate, Kyuubi-sama."

_These people are nuts,_ Naruto thought with his expression saying pretty much the same thing. He could not waste any more time here. Bee had kicked the living shit out of him yesterday as part of training. He did not want to find out what counted as a punishment.

He was still lost though.

"Sen, at the moment I'm a bit lost. You mind showing me the way to Unraikyo valley."

She bowed. "It would be an honor and a priviledge, Lord Kyuubi." This made Naruto rub his head in embarrassment and smile nervously. "My friend, Ayame Shaga, the one who hit you, will realize I'm not with her for a long while, enough time for us to reach the valley."

_That's her name, Ayame Shaga. Well she's definitely not like the Ayame I know back in Konoha._

She led the way and Naruto took the time to study her profile. She at least was of a height with him and considering Naruto was short for his age, it dampened his spirits to know almost everyone he would ever meet and was at least his age would beat him in that regard.

She was dressed in a dark purple sleeveless shirt made of thick material. Arm warmers covered her arms from wrist almost touching her shoulder. Dark pants with the standard Kumo shin protectors and Shinobi sandals completed the outfit.

Her gait was calm and relaxed, showing no excitement or nervousness from walking with someone she called Kyuubi-sama. Her expression was unreadable, as if this was a routine that had become tedium for her. Naruto who was usually quick to decide whether he hated or liked someone was at a loss with this Sen Yarizui.

Both ninja and kunoichi leapt into the air, first running up the side of a building and then leaping across rooftops in an unhurried pace.

He took the moment to memorize the landmarks of the village, from this towering skyscraper to the fountain at a street intersection. Built in the mountains, Kumo's space for expansion was limited so they looked to the sky, as if seeking to establish their own kingdom in the clouds.

Once the village was behind them, Sen sped up leading Naruto on a merry chase through the mountain range.

They arrived at the training ground to find the 'Lord Hachibi' already smacking his children around in the name of training. When he caught sight of Naruto, Bee immediately launched into his antics.

"You're late, Mr Nine. Now you know you gotta pay the price!"

The man kept his eyes on Naruto, not even sparing Omoi a glance when he knocked the wind out of the boy with a well-timed kick.

"C'mon you can join them and watch their backs, that way _I_ don't have to hold back! Wheeeee!" B rapped and rhymed.

The blonde gulped and Karui froze mid-charge on her way to skewer her sensei.

She gave Naruto an ice- cold foreboding look that meant his death if he gave Bee any incentive to go even a little harder on them.

It was at that moment that Naruto decided he still had business back in the village. After all, he still had to find a place that sold ramen.

He looked to his guide to escort him back (and give him a valid excuse), but found little more than empty air next to him. Her mission complete, she had already seen fit to return to the village.

He had only known her for little more than thirty minutes, but Naruto had never felt so betrayed.

"Naruto, why'd your friend just up and leave? I could have trained her too for free!"

"Bee-sensei, you know how infamously uncool your training methods are. Even Sen Yarizui would not dare go anywhere near you on a training field," Samui spoke up.

The blonde had already turned round to head back to the village. Hopefully Bee laying the smackdown on his own students would satisfy the madman for today.

No such luck.

Naruto's shoulder was in the man's grasp before he'd taken his second step.

"Now Mr Nine, no need to go back for her. For now, you'll serve and then we'll ask her to take a turn."

In the dark recesses of his mind, a chibi version of Naruto was crying.

**AN/**

**A filler chapter really, since the original turned out to be too long.**

**We'll get down to business soon, with a bunch of significant events coming up.**

**By the way, Pain here is healthy Nagato with full use of his legs. I like overwhelming odds and it would be fun to see how the elemental nations match up against one with the power of a god.**

**Remember, there's no such thing as overkill **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notice**

**This is a notice that I have posted another version of jinchuriki exchange program that's under the same name but with version two stitched on. This version has a different Naruto who for me is a bit easier to write about before I officially return to this story, which I will. **

**The first two chapters are already up, so if you are interested please check it out and tell me what you think.**

**May the log be with you.**


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